The Legend of Zelda: Dawn of Chaos
by Minstrel of Madness
Summary: A false king. A reckless princess. A talented knight. In a technological world where the Goddesses of Hyrule are nothing more than a distant myth, the legendary cycle of reincarnation continues. And only one young swordsman can finally stop it. Breath of the Wild AU. ZeLink.
1. Prologue

The Legend of Zelda: Dawn of Chaos

~ _Based on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild_ ~

 **Prologue**

* * *

Three thousand and thirty-five, three thousand and thirty-six.

Each time her bare feet hit the soft, burning sand, Zelda would increase the count. She tried to ignore the annoying clank of her chains as she trudged.

There were nasty-looking men stationed both in front of and behind her, walking in single file. Every one of them looked tough enough to be able to kill a person in a single blow, and every one of them looked mean enough to actually do it.

Leading the procession on horseback was a tall, wickedly handsome Gerudo man. Emphasis on wicked. This man was without a doubt the evilest person Zelda had ever laid eyes on, and she longed to wrap the chains on her wrists around his neck and strangle him. That would certainly get her out of what was to come.

 _Not now,_ she chided herself. _Control._ She took a deep breath, then went back to silently counting her steps.

Gerudo Town loomed in the distance. The sight of the desert oasis had at one time filled Zelda's heart with joy. In those days, her mother would walk her through the streets and the alleyways, allowing her to stop at every merchant stand. They would talk to the Gerudo women, or Vai, as Zelda had learned they called themselves, learn bits and pieces of the Gerudo language, sample all of the food for sale, and try on the clothing on display, and laugh and giggle and enjoy life away from the Castle.

Those were very different times. Today would be a much less joyous excursion.

Three thousand and forty-two.

Upon reaching the entrance to the town, the head of their procession saluted to one of the guards posted at the gate, who nodded, bidding them enter. Usually, the Gerudo had a strict no-male policy, but for such a momentous occasion as this Zelda supposed they had to make an exception.

The townspeople were gathered along the sides of the main thoroughfare, and for as large of a crowd as it was, its silence surprised Zelda. It also surprised her to see how many non-Gerudo were present among the mass as well. Zelda could see Hylians, Zoras, and Rito mixed in with the Gerudo. She even spotted a couple of Goron.

The line stopped moving, and one of the men guarding Zelda grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the middle of the town square. Another one cleared his throat and yelled in a low, gravelly tone, "All hail his majesty, Emperor Ganondorf!"

The crowd remained silent as Ganondorf climbed off of his horse and took his place beside Zelda. His long red mane of hair flowed in the wind. He stood in such a way that demanded attention: head high, neck tense, fists clenched, lips curled into a sinister grin. He was so close that it took every fabric of Zelda's being to keep her face idle. She was a Princess; she should act with decorum.

"Citizens of New Hyrule," Ganondorf said, his deep baritone booming throughout the town, "we gather here today to celebrate victory!"

"Victory, indeed," Zelda spat, finally losing control of herself. "Perhaps in the Gerudo language. I'm not very fluent in it, but from where I come from what you've done is called regicide."

A gasp went up from the crowd and Ganondorf turned slowly to face Zelda. That wicked sneer was still plastered on his face. "We both know why we stand here today, Princess. Perhaps you would like to speed up the process, eh?"

"Do what you must, Ganondorf. This will only serve to bring about your downfall."

"I highly doubt that," Ganondorf hissed before addressing the crowd once again. "It appears that our lovely Princess Zelda is dissatisfied with the work we are going to do together to bring about change. Allow me to demonstrate what happens to those who would dare stand in the way of progress."

Ganondorf snapped his fingers, and one of his soldiers presented him with an ornate ebon scimitar. He raised it high above his head, giving the crowd an excellent view of the weapon, before he turned to face Zelda once more.

"I never imagined I would be able to kill two members of the Royal Family in such a short time period," he told her quietly. "I'm going to enjoy watching you bleed."

And then he swung the sword straight at Zelda's abdomen.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Link had an excellent view of Ganondorf's little spiel from the ramparts of Gerudo Town. He enjoyed the crowd's skepticism and unresponsiveness; it gave him comfort knowing that he wasn't alone in his disdain for the oppressive new Emperor.

He was crouched behind the walls of the ramparts, out of sight. Nearby, two of the other champions watched intently as Ganondorf addressed the crowd.

"Link," Revali, the Rito champion, said as he lowered his telescope, "it looks like he's going to do it soon."

"Patience," Link replied. "Even an execution has some order to it. As long as Princess Zelda doesn't do anything rash, we still have plenty of time to kill."

Revali sighed, obviously still nervous. "I don't like this."

"Neither do any of us," said Urbosa, the team's only Gerudo member. "But Link knows what he's doing. We'll get through this."

In unhappy silence, Revali went back to looking through his telescope.

Link leaned against the top of the wall and surveyed the spectacle. Ganondorf was obviously trying to engage the crowd, and obviously failing. Link could have sworn he saw a couple of folks dozing off right there in the market. If Ganondorf noticed it, though, it didn't seem to bother him. He just continued to talk and talk and talk until Link nearly feel asleep himself.

Stood next to Ganondorf was Zelda, hands shackled and face grim. She looked angry, though it was evident that she was trying not to show it. Link was positive if her hands were free she would waste no time in figuring out some way to rid Hyrule of the man who had usurped her.

"Link, something's wrong." Urbosa's voice interrupted his thoughts, her tone urgent. "Zelda's saying something. No, she's yelling at him. He's whispering something to her. He's got a sword!"

Urbosa was right. When Link looked, he saw that Ganondorf did have a sword, a black scimitar with gold lining the blade. It was beautiful, expertly crafted.

And when Ganondorf brought the sword back to strike, it didn't take Link very long to realize that his plans had been cut short.

"Now, Link!" Revali shouted.

Needing no prompt, Link leapt over the wall. In midair, he pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow. Squinting, he focused all of his energy into the shot. Time seemed to slow as he held his breath and drew back the bowstring.

Ganondorf's sword was centimeters away from Zelda's stomach. The only possible area Link could injure to prevent the sword's contact was the hand holding it.

Here goes nothing, Link thought, as he aimed for the back of Ganondorf's hand.

He let the arrow fly.

Ganondorf roared in pain, as his sword clattered to the ground. He clutched his now bleeding hand, the shaft of Link's arrow stuck straight through it.

Link hit the ground with a thud. He sprinted toward the Princess, who was frantically doing her best to avoid the attacks of Ganondorf's soldiers nearby. Some of the Gerudo guards had engaged the thugs, but not enough to get Zelda out of harm's reach.

A cold wind blew through Link's hair and when he glanced skyward he saw Revali flying above, dispatching enemy soldier after enemy soldier with his own bow. Link glanced behind him and saw Urbosa gracefully cutting through several as well. She moved so fluidly it looked like she was dancing.

Upon reaching Zelda's side, Link grabbed her hand and ran with her through the chaos to one of the back alleys. Through pants and gasps, he managed to ask her how she was doing.

"Well, I'm not dead, so that's a good thing, right?" she said, and Link managed a chuckle.

"That's a really good thing," he said, and collapsed to the ground.

"How did you manage it?"

"I'm not really even sure. Ganondorf was so close to killing you that I wasn't sure if the arrow was going to fly fast enough. I'm glad it did."

"Yes, it really was a remarkable shot, wasn't it?" asked the voice of an intruder. "Impressive, for such a pathetic excuse for a Hyrulean Knight."

And there stood Ganondorf, his hand still dripping blood. He smiled slyly, which surprised Link a little given the amount of pain he must have been in.

Link sprang to his feet and drew his sword. "I'm just doing my job, Emperor Ganondorf."

"If I remember correctly, your job entails obeying me, boy. Not interfering with my plans."

"My job is to protect Princess Zelda at all costs. And with all due respect, sir, if your plans involve ending the lives of all the Royal Family members simply because they get in the way of your goals, I want nothing to do with you."

"Then the feeling is mutual," Ganondorf spat. "Get out of my sight, boy. I have unfinished business with the Princess."

Link didn't budge.

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" Ganondorf clicked his tongue in distaste. "Fine, you'll die with your Princess."

Face now twisted with fury, Ganondorf leapt at Link, swinging his sword with such speed that Link barely had time to parry. Jolts of pain shot through Link's arm from the strength behind Ganondorf's strokes, as metal hit metal with loudclangs.

"Give up already, boy!" Ganondorf shouted.

Link didn't answer. Instead, he jumped to the side, rolling round behind Ganondorf when he hit the ground. He managed to slash at Ganondorf's back, but his brittle blade barely connected and he cursed under his breath.

Ganondorf whirled and slashed Link across the chest. The blade bit deep and Link gasped in agony as he collapsed, and he heard a panicked exclamation from Zelda, who dropped to her knees beside him.

Raising his sword, Ganondorf prepared again to run it straight through Zelda, only this time, there was no surprise arrow to save her. Link shut his eyes and slumped closer to the ground, not wanting to witness her demise.

Just as he did, he heard the faint crackle of electricity, and opened his eyes in time to see Ganondorf's sword sparking uncontrollably. He smirked.

Urbosa, you clever scoundrel.

"Princess Zelda, you were a fool to think you could escape me," Ganondorf snarled, sword still high in the air.

"No, Ganondorf, you're the fool," Link said with a pained chuckle. "Your sword may be pretty, but it's still metal."

Ganondorf looked confused as he examined his blade, then his eyes widened as he realized the danger he was in.

Even as he did, Urbosa dropped from a nearby rooftop and snapped her fingers. A bolt of lightning shot from the sky, slamming directly into Ganondorf. His body spasmed violently as he was struck in full force by the lightning, and Link pulled himself to his feet with Urbosa's help.

"Come, Princess!" she commanded. "We need to get out of here!"

As the trio ran through the streets, Urbosa helping keep Link upright, they could just barely make out the sound of Ganondorf yelling curses after them, enraged that his prey had escaped.

* * *

 _A/N_

 _I hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. A big thanks goes out to LiliansMalice for Betareading this story, and also thank you to everyone who followed/faved/reviewed. I can't say it enough. Thank you._


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N_

 _I wasn't initially planning on updating again until Sunday, but I thought, "meh, why not?" So here's the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it!_

 _An enormous thanks goes out to LiliansMalice for editing and proofing the story. Go check out her work, she's a seriously talented writer. And also I forgot to include a disclaimer last time, so I don't own Zelda, or Breath of the Wild. All (well, most) characters in this story belong to Nintendo._

 **Chapter 2**

"Ow!"

Link was lying down on the stone floor of a cave somewhere in the middle of Hyrule Field, waiting for Mipha to finish whatever she did when she healed somebody. He wasn't really sure how she did it; just that it was quick, easy, and excruciatingly painful.

"Just a little longer," Mipha said, voice calm and quiet. "You're being very brave, Link."

Mipha was the Zora champion, and the daughter of the Zora king, Dorephan. Shy and quiet, she preferred to stay out of direct conflict, opting instead to aid her comrades in the event they became wounded in battle. Her restorative abilities were unmatched even by the most learned alchemists in all of Hyrule and, painful as they were, her methods left her patient completely healed and feeling energized after it was all over.

"There you are," she said as she brushed her fins against Link's scarred chest. "Nothing a little tender loving care cannot remedy."

"Thanks, Mipha," Link said, pulling his tunic back over his head.

"It is my pleasure," she replied. "Now, if I remember correctly, the Princess and the others would like to speak with us."

Link groaned. "Not another meeting..." he sighed as he strapped baldric across his chest. "We'd best get this over with, then."

Mipha helped him to his feet, then the pair made their way over to the small campfire in the other side of the cave, where Princess Zelda and her other three champions were busy arguing about something.

"Zelda, we have to keep you safe. What you're suggesting is the opposite of that," insisted Urbosa from where she leaned against the wall of the cave.

"It's practically suicide," Revali muttered.

"No!" exclaimed Zelda. "You don't understand, Urbosa! If the six of us work together, he won't stand a chance!" She turned to Daruk, the mighty Goron Champion. "Daruk, you have to agree, don't you?"

But the Goron warrior shook his head sadly, which surprised Link a bit. Usually if somebody wanted to dive headfirst into crazy situations Daruk would be the first to volunteer, probably because his rocky head was hard enough to survive a headfirst dive. "Sorry, Princess," he said, "but I'm with Urbosa on this one. I may not be the sharpest pickaxe in the mine, but even I know that your plan isn't safe."

"Zelda." Urbosa placed a loving hand on her friend's shoulder. "Your father was clear that we are to protect you at all costs."

"My father is dead!" Zelda screamed, and yanked herself free of Urbosa's. For a moment she was silent, before she abruptly burst into tears. "And it's all Ganondorf's fault! Don't you see? He has to pay!"

"A frontal assault would accomplish nothing, Princess," Revali stated flatly. "Even I, with my superior skill with the bow, wouldn't be able to do anything against him. He's too powerful."

Zelda stared at him, sniffling and tear-stained, then her face twisted and she let out a shriek. "Why don't any of you care?!"

She stormed deeper into the cave, and Urbosa sighed with a shake of her head.

"What was all that about?" asked Link, who looked about the campfire awkwardly.

"Zelda suggested that the six of us take on Ganondorf now, while he's 'weak.' We told her it was a bad idea, and she got upset," Urbosa explained with a roll of her eyes. "Give her some space. She'll be fine."

Nobody spoke for several moments. Daruk eventually broke the silence by clearing his throat and asking, "So, what now?"

"Ganondorf's only put a bounty on the Princess," said Revali, "so he's either not concerned about us at all, or…"

Link finished his thought. "Or he's assuming that if he catches her, he'll catch us." He clicked his tongue. "We can't stay with her. Not all of us, at least."

"We can't exactly just go straight into the wild, now, can we?" asked Urbosa, her tone dry.

"Why not?" Link protested. "You're all pretty resourceful, you'd be fine."

"Even if we would," Urbosa said, and rolled her eyes, "we're Zelda's protectors. We can't just leave her."

"I didn't say we had to completely abandon her," he clarified, struggling to keep his voice level. Urbosa huffed and crossed her arms indignantly.

Link glared at her, a tad frustrated. Usually her dryness didn't bother him, but he'd had a particularly long couple of days and he was at his wit's end. His temper was a little short.

Mipha brushed a hand against Link's, and he caught her gaze out of the corner of his eye. She shook her head pointedly, and he calmed down a little.

"All I'm saying is that if we stick together we're all going to die," he continued. "We can't allow Ganondorf to harm Zelda, but we also have to think for ourselves. If any one of us dies, the Princess is that much more vulnerable."

Daruk and Revali glanced at each other, confused, then asked in unison, "So what are you saying?"

Link sighed and closed his eyes. "It seems to me that our best move is to split up."

The others gasped, and Revali shook his head. " _This_ is our commander?" he griped, throwing his hands in the air and pacing back and forth rather obnoxiously. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. This is madness."

"Shut it, bird-brain," snapped Urbosa. "Link is right, as much as I hate to admit it. The less attention we draw to ourselves, the better."

"Listen, little guy," Daruk addressed Link, his eyebrows raised in concern. "I get what you're saying and all, but where do we go? What do we do? It's gonna be hard to get our old lives back now that Hyrule's being run by you-know-who."

"I don't know, Daruk," Link admitted. "I just don't know."

* * *

Later, as Link packed supplies into a satchel, the other Champions said their goodbyes to each other. He felt awful leaving them on their own, without a clue of what to do, but he knew in his heart that it was the best possible decision. They couldn't stay together. That was about as stupid as Zelda's suggestion to go after Ganondorf.

Deciding that it wasn't worth thinking about, he shoved a few apples in the bag before closing it up. He slung it over his shoulder and walked out of the cave, where Zelda stood in the grass, staring at the setting sun.

"I suppose you have to leave," she said, her voice somber. She turned to face him. "It's for the best, isn't it?"

Not a single word came out of his mouth as he nodded sadly.

"And where will you go?"

It took him a minute to decide how to respond. "I'm not sure," he said finally. "I will escort you to Kakariko, where you'll be safe under the care of the Sheikah. But after that, I have no idea what I'm doing."

A flicker of a smile crossed Zelda's face. "Well, whatever you do, I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

He turned away from her, a lone tear sneaking down his face. _Did I make the right choice when I let Ganondorf into the Castle?_

"Zelda-" he said, a lump beginning to form in his throat.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop Ganondorf from-"

His voice cracked and he found himself unable to say anything else.

Zelda's gentle hand touched his shoulder, drawing his attention back to her lovely face. She looked at him, her green eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "Link," she said, reaching up to caress his cheek tenderly, "there was nothing you could do. You mustn't blame yourself."

"But it's my fault, Zelda. All of this is my fault."

"No, Link, it's not. You are _my_ appointed knight, not my father's. You've done your job excellently. Stop holding yourself responsible for something you couldn't control."

He looked away from her and bit his lip. Maybe she was right. Maybe there really wasn't anything more he could have done.

"Thank you, your highness," he said as he looked back to her.

"Of course," she replied, a sad smile on her face.

He hated this. He didn't want to leave, not with the way things were. What he wanted to do was take on Ganondorf immediately right then and there, as Zelda had suggested, regardless of how stupid the idea was. It ate at him that Ganondorf just took whatever he wanted from whoever he wanted simply because they stood in his way.

He turned back to Zelda.

"For as long as I live," he said, placing a hand on his chest in oath, "I swear on my life that I will never stop fighting to make sure Ganondorf will do no more harm to you or those you love."

It was Zelda's turn to look away as she bowed her head. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Link."

They each took a step toward the horizon, leaving behind them their old lives. Link had no idea what this new life would bring, but he knew that whatever the circumstances, he would fight to protect Zelda.

And there, as he walked headfirst into the unknown, he made a vow that one way or another he would personally make sure Ganondorf was paid in full for his treachery.

Even if it was the very last thing he did.


	4. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf are property of Nintendo._

 **Chapter 3**

 _'For as long as I live, I swear on my life that I will never stop fighting to make sure Ganondorf will do no more harm to you or those you love.'_

How long had it been since he had said those words to her?

Zelda sat on her bed inside Impa's house, watching the village through her window. The Sheikah leader had been gracious enough to allow her to stay in her own home, which Zelda had been grateful for but still insisted was completely unnecessary.

 _It is a rather soft bed, though,_ she thought. She threw herself back, her hair flopping in fifty different directions, and stared at the ceiling.

A whole year had passed since Ganondorf wrested Hyrule from the Royal Family. A year that Zelda had spent hiding in Kakariko Village, wallowing in her own ineptitude. Yes, she appreciated that Link wanted her safe, but she could take care of herself. She wanted to be out there fighting Ganondorf, not biding her time with a community of Sheikah.

Most days she didn't even leave the house unless she absolutely had to, fearing potential awkwardness if she saw any of the villagers beside Impa. After all, the Royal Family had banished the Sheikah from the land when their technological advances had become too difficult to comprehend. And, as all of the villagers were certainly well aware, Zelda was a member of the Royal Family.

Not that any of them had been particularly unkind to her, they hadn't. In fact, it seemed they held her in high esteem, despite her lineage. Still, it was probably better that she didn't risk upsetting them. The last thing she needed was to be kicked out of the village she was supposed to be hiding within.

 _Why am I still here?_ she wondered. _There must be something I can do to help_.

She had never been one to get involved in conflict, focusing instead on her scientific research. It wasn't that she was opposed to fighting, or that she was incapable of holding her own in a fight, she had just always been more interested in understanding how and why things were the way they were.

But Ganondorf needed to be stopped. This wasn't the kind of thing Zelda intended to leave to a few good soldiers somewhere while she pranced around Hyrule Field collecting soil samples and pretending that everything was right with the world. That vile excuse for a man had taken everything she held dear, and she was going to see that she returned the favor.

On a much less personal level, he was also a tyrant. As the rightful heiress to the Hylian Throne, Zelda needed to protect her people. They were her responsibility. Not Link's, not the Champions', not anybody else's.

And personal abhorrence aside, Zelda was not going to allow Ganondorf's despotism to plague the lives of her citizens any longer.

Now she knew exactly what had to be done. His tyranny needed to be brought to a swift end, and while her influence to bring about that end was limited, there was one thing she could do.

She rose from her bed and marched downstairs to where Impa sat on a cushion, meditating. The Sheikah leader opened one eye, and upon seeing Zelda, relaxed her position a bit and said, "What is it, your highness?"

"Impa, I want to start a rebellion," Zelda told her.

Impa squinted at her for a moment before she shook her head in confusion. "Forgive me, Princess. I must have heard you wrong. It sounded to me like you said you wished to start a rebellion."

Zelda nodded. "That's exactly what I said."

"Are you out of your mind, Zelda?" Impa exclaimed, and sprang to her feet. "You're in enough danger as it is! If it's discovered you're the one who started a rebellion, of all things, Ganondorf will find you, and he will kill you."

"He's already been looking for me for a whole year with the intention of killing me. As long as I stay hidden, I have nothing to lose."

"But who will fight for you? My Sheikah are loyal, but they are not warriors, and much of the Hylian population has already given up any hope of Ganondorf's reign ever being over."

"Then allow me to give them hope!" Zelda's voice began to rise. "My people are strong and courageous, and loyal to a fault. They simply need a banner to rally beneath. Let me be that banner!"

Impa sighed and shook her head again, resignedly this time. "I can see you have your heart set on this, and nothing I can say or do will change your mind. Very well. As ridiculous of an idea as I think this is, I will support it."

"Good." Zelda grinned. "Where do we start?"

"You need followers. A rebellion will not be very effective without many powerful fighters, and lesser still if it has few sympathizers." Impa chuckled and sank back onto the floor. "Though, given Ganondorf's unpopularity, I highly doubt you'll have any trouble in that area."

"What else?"

Impa put a hand to her chin pensively. "You mentioned a banner, yes? Though I am sure you didn't mean a physical banner, you absolutely need one. A successful rebellion is almost always associated with a particular symbol. The people will not respond to something they cannot see or feel. You must give your cause substance."

Impa closed her eyes, indicating that she was ready to return to her meditation. "Seeing as you're not going to be doing much fighting any time soon, I would start with these two goals. Find a symbol, something recognizable but at the same time unique, and give the people something to fight for. Something that represents the land of Hyrule as a whole."

"I can do that, Impa, but what about people?" Zelda glanced away across the room, imagining the whole of Hyrule spread out before her. "I can't very well go out into all the different territories and recruit them myself, not with the way Ganondorf has been looking for me."

"Don't fret, Princess," Impa replied tenderly. "There's paper and ink upstairs in the bedroom. Write letters to the leaders of the independent provinces. I'm sure your Champions hold some, if not all, of the influence in their respective lands. My scouts will ensure that the letters reach their appropriate destinations in due time."

Zelda nodded and turned to walk upstairs, but Impa stopped her. "Zelda, wait. Many Hylians nowadays base their actions on reason and rationality. They say only a fool would act on instinct alone." She gave another chuckle. "Hyrule needs more fools like you, Princess. Go. Start your rebellion. And know that you have the full support of the Sheikah Tribe."

Zelda smiled. "Thank you, Impa. For everything."

She ran upstairs, sat down at the desk in the bedroom, and got to work writing. She worked tirelessly. By the end of the day she had written a letter to nearly every clan, tribe, and species in the Kingdom. There was a steady ache in her hand, but she felt it was an accomplishment, a testament to her effort.

Inside, she was ecstatic. Granted, starting a rebellion was probably not one of her brightest ideas; there were so many things she hadn't thought through yet, and a part of her was intimidated by the fact that it was a reality at all. But she knew now that she was at least trying to make a difference. That was all she could do.

And if the people did end up backing her, Ganondorf wouldn't stand a chance.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Link sat in the field, gaze fixed on the horizon. The hills surrounding Hateno Village were aglow with the midday sun, the lush carpet of grass swaying with the unseen hand of a gentle breeze. Link's horse, Epona, stood nearby, grazing peacefully.

It had been four years since he had left Zelda's side. He had spent most of his time in the wild, away from civilization, but he found that whenever he was in need of a warm meal and a soft bed, Hateno was his first choice. The isolated community had provided him with the perfect opportunity to lay low and rest.

Allowing himself the rare opportunity to relax, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. It seemed that he was always on the run from something. There was almost never any chance for him to stop moving for more than an hour at a time. But here, in Hateno, he was safe. The odds of anyone finding him here were extremely slim.

 _Of course_ , he thought, _with my luck I'll end up running into Ganondorf_.

He'd been fortunate enough not to have had any direct encounters with the Emperor since their duel in Gerudo Town, but he always kept his guard up whenever he was out traveling. If Ganondorf could find him, then it would only be a matter of time before he found Zelda, as well.

Link ran a hand through his hair and flopped back into the grass, suddenly realizing how long his hair had become. Since he'd left Zelda he'd given it a few cursory chops, but it had been a while now and it was well beyond shoulder-length. The idea of having long hair had always disgusted him but, oddly enough, now that he actually had it, he didn't mind.

Admittedly, he didn't mind a lot of the new life he had embraced. As much as he'd thought he would miss fighting, he was really starting to enjoy this quiet, secluded lifestyle. Suddenly he was no longer bound by Princess Zelda's wishes or the unwritten rules of pompous royalty. If he wanted to go somewhere, nobody could tell him he couldn't. If he felt like fishing, he needed only to find a pond with fish and cast a line. If he was hungry, he didn't have to wait for mealtimes to eat something.

Besides, he hadn't really stopped fighting. He had decided long ago that, while he was no longer a soldier, he had still made a promise to Zelda that he would never stop fighting. And while her safety was secured by the Sheikah, that of her people was not. So, he had become sort of a vigilante among the people of Hyrule, slaying monsters and beating up castle soldiers to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.

At least, that's how a part of him justified his absence.

A larger part of him longed for the opportunity to fight for a cause again, though. As much as he enjoyed the life of a vagabond, it wasn't truly _him_. He missed knowing he was a part of something greater than himself. As a wanderer, he was free to do whatever he wanted, but everything he did nowadays revolved around himself. He wanted to help other people.

"SOMEBODY HELP!"

There came a sudden shout in the distance, followed by the unmistakable sound of metal clashing against metal.

 _Speaking of_ , Link thought as he sprang to his feet and grabbed his sword from where it lay nearby. He mounted Epona with almost inhuman speed and urged her toward the sound of the voice.

As he grew closer and closer to the source of the shout, the sounds of fighting grew steadily louder. Not only this, but they were accompanied by the gargling and screeching unique to the Bokoblin race. The little fiends, for reasons Link could never quite understand, enjoyed beating up any Hylians they came across. For a well-equipped swordsman such as himself, they usually proved to be nothing more than a nuisance. But for a simple farmer or merchant, an encounter with a Bokoblin could end in death. Especially since they tended to rove in packs.

He could see a trio of the monsters now, as well as the person they were attacking. It was a Rito, with dark grey plumage and armor typical of Rito Guards. He (at least they looked like a he as Link rode closer) held a sword clumsily in his right hand and was doing everything he could do avoid being hit by the monsters.

Link drew within striking distance. He tugged on Epona's reigns, and she reared back obediently. Kicking off from the saddle he brought his sword down into the skull of one of the Bokoblins, who immediately collapsed and dissolved into purple dust.

Link bared his teeth at the other two. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size, eh?"

They stared at him with a mix of confusion and fear and gave a few grunts, obviously not understanding a word he'd said. Their moment of confusion gave Link the perfect opportunity to cut them down. Both dissolved as their comrade before them had.

Link wiped the blood off of his sword and turned to the Rito, who was dusting himself off. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm doing quite alright, given the circumstances," said the Rito, who hadn't looked up at Link yet. "I must thank you. If you hadn't been there, I probably would have–"

As he lifted his head to meet Link's gaze, Link got a good view of his face for the first time. He did a double take as he realized that he was staring at none other than Revali, the Rito Champion.

Revali gasped, surprised expression mirroring Link's own. "By the Goddesses! Link, is that truly you?"

Link nodded and grinned widely. "How are you, old friend?"

"I was doing just fine until those, those _things_ attacked me," Revali said with a chuckle, before he pointed at Link. "I could have taken them, you know! They just caught me off guard is all. I didn't have time to draw my bow."

Link rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Right."

Revali shot him a mock glare before exclaiming, "But enough about me! Where in the name of the Goddesses have you been all this time? The others were starting to get worried."

Link shrugged. "Oh, I've been here, there, everywhere, really."

"What have you been doing?"

"Anything I've wanted to."

"Must be nice," Revali muttered, expression turning sour. "Back in Kakariko we're always obeying the Princess's every whim. She's so bossy! At least when you were the leader of the Champions you made our work fun. Sometimes I get the feeling I'm not being used to my full potential." He lifted his beak into the air arrogantly. He was a proud bird, and though Link had initially considered his arrogance bothersome, he had quickly discovered that, at the very least, Revali was actually as good as he said he was.

"What are you doing in Kakariko?" Link asked.

"Well, I've been doing some scouting missions lately for the Sheikah, but when I'm just relaxing in the village I like to challenge Daruk to competitions of all kinds, and-"

"Hold on," Link interrupted, "Daruk's there too?"

"Of course! All the Champions are. And Princess Zelda too, obviously. And some bothersome Sheikah poet named Tabas, who I think may be the Princess' court poet, but I don't know for sure. I try to avoid talking to him. Mainly I just spend time with Daruk, and sometimes Urbosa, when she can stand to be around me."

Last Link had heard, because he had the one to give the order, each Champion had returned to his or her old life. He certainly hadn't been invited to whatever reunion was taking place in the Sheikah Village.

"Revali, who exactly do you and the others work for in Kakariko?"

"Why, we're with the Rebellion!" Revali replied with a flourish. "Which reminds me-" He pulled an envelope out of a bag strapped to his hip- "This is for you." He handed it to Link, who wasted no time in tearing it open and examining its contents.

 _Sir Link,_

 _On behalf of the Hyrulean Rebellion of the Free Peoples, I beseech you come to Kakariko Village as quickly as you are able. Please consider this notice a formal invitation to fight alongside the last of those who still long for a free Hyrule._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Princess Zelda Nohansen Hyrule_

 _Postscript - Link, formalities aside, our numbers are growing thinner with each passing day. I can only pray you receive this letter, but if by chance you do, please know that Hyrule needs you. I need you._

Link put the letter down, a lump in his throat. "Zelda wants me to fight?"

"Well of course! You're easily the best swordsman in Hyrule," Revali replied.

"That's high praise," said Link. "And here I thought you spent all of your words boasting."

Revali laughed. "Don't let it go to your head, now. I only say it because I'm better than you at everything else."

Link ignored the remark. After all this time, Zelda had personally sent him a letter asking him to return to her side and take up his old lifestyle. If he wanted an opportunity to be part of something bigger than himself, this was certainly it. On top of that, he'd be reunited with all of his old friends, who he had missed dearly.

But he'd also be reunited with Zelda. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that, yet.

He knew she didn't blame him for the death- the murder of her father. She had made that much clear to him four years ago. The problem was that he still blamed himself.

The way he saw it, he had been put in charge of Zelda by her father, King Rhoam, himself, and even if his primary objective was to protect Zelda, he was still a knight in service to his King. He'd had the opportunity to save the King's life, and he'd wasted it saving Zelda's instead.

No, it wasn't a waste. Zelda's life certainly was important, but he couldn't help wondering what might have happened if he had moved faster, tried harder. Perhaps he would have been able to save the King as well.

He was aware that his pain was self-inflicted. Some might have even called it self-pity. Either way, it still hurt.

"Listen, Link," Revali said. "You don't have to make a decision about it now. Just come with me back to Kakariko. Spend some time with the others. And even if you don't join us, at least you'll have had fellowship with us."

"You're being uncharacteristically thoughtful, Revali," Link replied.

Revali shrugged. "Even a featherbrain like me knows that it's dangerous to go alone. And how long have you been on your own, anyway? You need companionship. So, are you coming with me?"

Link didn't really see another choice. He knew Revali was right; he did need companionship. He really had been on his own for too long.

And not only that, but like Revali said, nobody would be able to make him join up if he didn't want to. He'd make that decision only after he'd spent some time with his friends.

Grinning, Link nodded. "Yes. I'll come."

"Fantastic," Revali exclaimed. "See you there!" He flapped his wings and, with a great gust of wind, soared into the air. Link heard him cackling as he glided back down to the ground, and when he landed he doubled over with laughter. "Oh, you should have seen the look on your face!"

Link rolled his eyes and mounted Epona once again.

"Hyah!" he shouted as he dug his heels into her flanks. It was time for him to go home.

* * *

Ganondorf sat alone at the table inside the dining hall, quietly making his way through a steak. It was incredibly tender and oozed with flavorful juices every time he sank his teeth into it.

It didn't impress him in the least.

Nothing would ever bring him any satisfaction until Princess Zelda was dead, and that meddlesome swordsman's head was on a plate. In a brief moment of sadistic curiosity, he wondered what it would be like to take a bite out of it instead. Surely _that_ would bring him more gratification than the unbelievably drab piece of meat sitting in front of him.

Four years of searching, and there was still no sign of either of them. With every day that passed Ganondorf grew more and more furious. He had greedily snatched up every lead, every report, every hint of information that had any remote connection to the Princess or her chosen Knight, only to be evaded by them. Every. Single. Time.

If there was one thing the Princess had always been remarkably skilled at, it was running away.

The sound of the door opening startled him and he dropped his fork. It hit the table with a clang, but Ganondorf ignored it. He stared at the door with a combination of anticipation and annoyance as a young soldier emerged from the doorway and bowed low. On the one hand, Ganondorf did not appreciate being disturbed while he was eating supper. Such an offense was punishable by death, or at least it had been for the four years he had been Emperor.

On the other hand, there was a sliver of a possibility that the lad brought news of the Princess. Ganondorf decided that he would only kill him if he didn't.

"Lord Ganondorf, we have news of the Rebellion."

That piqued the Emperor's interest, at the very least. He hadn't heard very much about this rebellion, only that there was a growing movement amongst Hyrule Loyalists who wanted the monarchy to be reinstated and, unsurprisingly, their Emperor dead. Though he suspected Princess Zelda was involved somehow, there was no way of finding out for certain.

Did it bother him to know that his citizens wanted him dead? Not in the least. They were nothing more to him than pawns on a chessboard, each one of no further use once their part was played.

Ganondorf yawned, bored, and bade the soldier to state the news.

"There is word that a group of farmers have decided not to pay their taxes, Milord. They openly claim allegiance to the Rebellion."

"And where are these farmers located, exactly?" asked the Emperor, stroking his beard absently.

"Kakariko Village, sir."

The name sounded vaguely familiar. Perhaps he had visited there once? It made no difference; every place was the same to him.

A large part of him didn't care enough about the situation to do anything about it himself. After all, what were a few lousy farmers in the grand scope of eternity?

Nonetheless, he couldn't have a group of people openly defying his orders to pay taxes. That wouldn't do. An example needed to be made.

"Give the order to prepare my horse," he commanded. "And bring me a sword. I believe I ought to pay these farmers a visit."


	6. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda._

 _Also, sorry for the short chapter. Life has been crazy with deadlines for school stuff and trying to finish the term with good grades, so I haven't had enough time to work lately. Hopefully I can update a tad more consistently over the summer. Thanks for understanding._

* * *

Kakariko hadn't changed much in four years. Everything was more or less the way Link remembered it, from the houses to the waterfall, and even the goddess statue was the same, with its quirky little apron the villagers had either lovingly or irreverently draped around its neck.

Granted, Link had only been there once before, so he probably wouldn't have noticed if anything had changed, but from what he could gather it was all the same.

It had taken less than three days to travel to the village from Hateno. Revali had complained about the pace they were traveling at, insisting that traveling so fast wasn't good for his perfectly groomed feathers, but Link had ignored him and just kept moving. Eventually, Revali had simply flown away. Link had no idea where he'd gone, or if he was even in Kakariko yet. He supposed it didn't really matter, though.

It was well past nightfall when Link arrived, and as he walked through the village the only people he saw were a couple of Shiekah guards stationed outside Impa's house and a Gerudo woman talking with both of them.

"Hold, outsider," one of the guards said, holding up his torch as he noticed Link approaching. "What business do you have here at this hour?"

Running a nervous hand through his hair, Link cleared his throat to speak, but the Gerudo woman cut him off before he could get a word out.

"Link? You're here!?" she cried, her voice deep and familiar.

Link's couldn't help a wide grin as he suddenly realized who she was. Urbosa.

"You know this stranger?" the other guard demanded, exchanging a glance with their companion.

Urbosa scoffed. "Know him? He's one of my closest friends, and he has just as much business being here as you or I."

"That's for us to decide," the guard replied sharply.

"Is it?" Urbosa pointed a manicured finger at the guard, then gestured to Link. "This man used to be the Captain of the Champions. He was my boss, you nitwit!"

Both guards simply stared, obviously not believing her. Link opened his mouth to speak, then shut it as he decided there wasn't anything he could say to convince them. Urbosa was handling it, anyway.

Urbosa sighed. "You really won't take the word of another Champion? Fine. What if I told you that this man was Princess Zelda's personal knight? Then would you let him be?"

"Perhaps," the first guard said flatly. "But that's not possible, because Princess Zelda's personal knight disappeared years ago. You remember the letter, don't you?"

Link held up his hands. This could go on all night.

"Look," he said, "can't we sort all this out in the morning? All I need is a place to stay for the night."

The second guard eyed him suspiciously. "How can we be sure you're not one of Ganondorf's spies?"

"Oh please." Urbosa rolled her eyes, voice full of disdain. "Ganondorf hasn't been able to find us for three years. If you can't trust him, Rudo, trust me!"

Rudo looked to his companion, then to Link, then back to his companion. After a few moments of silent glances, he relented. "Fine, you can stay. But know we're watching you."

"Thanks," Link said, not really meaning it. Rudo clicked his tongue but didn't say anything.

Urbosa turned to Link, expression sly. "What generous guards we have here, hm?" She grinned then waved a hand at the road. "I'll show you to the stables."

Link nodded, aware the two guards were both still glowering at him, and once he'd grabbed Epona's reins they set off.

"Goddesses, Link," Urbosa said after a few moments, "it's been so long, hasn't it?"

"Too long," Link replied, and stopped. Urbosa followed suit and for a moment they just stared at each other.

Link noticed that, physically, she hadn't changed very much in four years. She was still just as tall as he remembered her, and muscular, for that matter, boasting abdominal muscles that would make even the strongest of Hylian bodybuilders jealous. Her voluminous red hair was still pulled back into a ponytail in the back, and her lips were still painted as blue as the Champion's Tunic she had wrapped around her waist. And, of course, she was adorned from head to toe in gold jewelry, a tradition religiously kept by Gerudo nobility. She looked entirely like the same person he had known four years ago.

Of course, he knew better than anyone that four years was more than enough time for somebody to change completely. He certainly had. For all he knew Urbosa could be a rude and pompous noblewoman who was in Kakariko simply for diplomatic purposes.

That definitely wasn't his first (if he could really even call it a first) impression of her, though, so he decided not to dwell on it too much. He supposed he might as well start a conversation with her.

Until he found that all of his words had completely left him.

Shifting his weight from foot to foot he pressed his lips together and tried to think of something to say. Silence stretched between them, and as Link scrambled internally, Urbosa looked away, curling and uncurling a strand of hair around her finger.

"So… how have you been?" Link finally asked, and when his voice cracked just slightly he cleared his throat. Why was he so uncomfortable? This was Urbosa, for crying out loud!

Urbosa shrugged. "Every day that I still stand here is a good day."

Silence. The back of Link's neck prickled, and he felt his face begin to heat with vague embarrassment.

"Right," he replied weakly, not sure what to make of what she'd said. _Why is this so difficult?_ he wondered. _We haven't seen each other in four years; how can we not have anything to say?!_

But instead of asking any more questions, Link just rubbed at the back of his neck and said, "Well. I, um, have to go take care of my horse." He gestured lamely at Epona.

Urbosa nodded quickly. "Of course. It's late. You don't need to be wasting time talking to me. We'll catch up in the morning, yeah?"

With a smile, Link nodded back to her. "Yeah. I'd like that."

She turned away just as he stretched out his arms to hug her, and he yanked them to his sides when she looked back at him. His face flushed again, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. What the heck was going on?

"Well I'd better- the stables are just down there-" Urbosa pointed away down the road as she backed up a step-"and the inn- the inn's over there."

And then she was away, striding back towards Impa's house without a backwards glance. She passed the guards and vanished, leaving Link standing motionless in the middle of the road.

 _What was that?_ he thought. _Urbosa's my friend. Why is it so awkward?_

He slowly led Epona down the road in the direction of the stable, wondering what in the world was wrong with him.

* * *

Zelda sat on the edge of her bed, brushing her hair. She wasn't sure why, but whenever she took the time to just sit and run the worn bristles through her hair, she relaxed. She always had. Her concern was not with her appearance; her mother had taught her long ago that a vain princess made no friends. She simply wished to calm herself down. And as long as her hair was these days, it gave her plenty of time to do so. Not that she needed more time, today.

Though she was well aware that each day had twenty-four hours, this day in particular had felt like millions. Between the troop examinations, meetings with diplomats, and every single Sheikah guard telling her she wasn't safe outside, Zelda felt she had a right to be exhausted. The events of the day had left her feeling listless, agitated, and melancholy all at the same time.

She supposed she couldn't complain, though. The Rebellion had grown to four times its size since the Champions had joined her, as each had brought a large number of their respective race with them when they came. Still, just because the Rebellion was a growing success did not make Zelda's job any less exhausting. In fact, it made it more so, if she were being honest.

She heard the door slide open downstairs, then shut as quickly as it had opened. Seconds later, Urbosa emerged in the doorway of her chambers with a grin wider than the sun. She leaned casually against the doorframe, and nodded to Zelda. "You always did like that brush, didn't you?"

Zelda shrugged. "I don't quite know if it's the brush or the brushing that I prefer." She took another handful of hair and ran the brush through it.

Urbosa walked over and sat down beside her. "It's your birthday tomorrow, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," Zelda said with a sigh.

"No need to sound too excited," Urbosa said dryly, arching her eyebrows.

"What is there to be happy about?" Zelda replied. "I'm a twenty-year-old princess in charge of leading a ramshackle army in a fight against the evillest person Hyrule has ever known, and I feel like the only competent ally I have is you."

Urbosa sighed long-sufferingly. "So true."

"And Urbosa, I know the other Champions mean well, but…" she trailed off, uncomfortable voicing doubts about her Champions.

"Zelda, I know for a fact that you have at least one other competent ally here in Kakariko right now."

Zelda stared at Urbosa. Who in the world could she be talking about?

When Zelda asked her as much, Urbosa's grin only widened. "I'm not going to spoil the surprise. But just know that I think you're going to enjoy your birthday present tomorrow."

"You bought me a gift?"

"Goddesses, no." Urbosa tipped back her head and laughed, and Zelda considered being offended for a moment. "This gift is well out of my price range. I can only believe it's from the goddesses themselves."

With that, she stood, placed a kiss on Zelda's forehead, and left the room without saying anything else.

 _Well, that was odd_ , Zelda thought, before she returned to brushing her hair.


	7. Chapter 6

"Hyah!"

Sweat hit the ground as Link's sword connected with the dummy's chest. He had been training with it for over two hours, and was impressed that though it was certainly showing some signs of wear and tear, it hadn't broken yet. Pausing momentarily, he swiped at his forehead with his sleeve before he returned to sparring.

He was sweating profusely and his sword arm was sore; he hadn't trained this hard in months. He could have lied and offered some excuse about how he hadn't had anything to train with in the wild, but really it was because he hadn't wanted to, or rather because he hadn't needed to. He could hold his own in a fight against any monster he ran into without a problem.

But if he did decide to join up with the Rebellion, he figured now was as good a time as any to start preparing for another fight with Ganondorf. Especially since their last battle had been such a colossal failure on Link's part.

Striking the dummy again Link was startled as the blade of his sword snapped clean in two, his arm flung back by the recoil. With an annoyed sigh, he picked up the shards of the blade and began to trudge back down to the village proper. Urbosa had told him that the soldiers (if one could truly call them that) had been training outside Kakariko, but Link, not actually being one of the soldiers, trained by himself in the small woods located above the village. It was comforting, not being bothered by the presence of other people but at the same time knowing that he was within walking distance of human contact should he grow lonely.

When he passed the cucco pens, he took a left and headed over to the small hut where the blacksmith Berritt supposedly took up residence. According to Urbosa, he was the best available blacksmith in all of Hyrule, having trained under the Great Smith of Akalla, Abur, himself.

The clang of metal and hiss of steam emanating from the hut grew louder with every step Link took towards it, and he steeled himself before he pulled Berritt's tent flap open. Inside was an absolute bear of a man pounding a large hammer against an even larger anvil. He had long, curly hair that fell well past his broad shoulders and arms the size of tree trunks, the veins within which bulged and pulsated each time his hammer struck the anvil.

He paused abruptly mid-swing, then set the hammer down and turned to face Link. Link gulped.

Berritt stroked his long black beard with sausage-sized fingers. His face shined with a combination of grease and sweat as he glared at Link suspiciously, which only served to give Link even more butterflies in his stomach. He hadn't known what to expect from Hyrule's greatest blacksmith, but he definitely hadn't been expecting this.

There was a pause, and then Berritt's cold glare faded as his enormous lips curled into a warm smile. "Well, well, well," he said, his Akallan accent thick, "what do we have here? You must be the new recruit Lady Urbosa was tellin' me about! The name's Berritt, laddie. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He stuck out a beefy hand, and Link shook it reluctantly, afraid his hand might get squashed. "What's your name, lad?"

"Link," he replied. "And I'm not a recruit. I'm just catching up with some old friends."

Berritt looked puzzled. "Huh," he said with a shrug. "Lady Urbosa made it quite clear that you were here to help the Rebellion."

Link looked at his shoes, unsure of what to say. It didn't surprise him that Urbosa would have assumed he was joining up immediately, but at the same time it bothered him that she would say such a thing without checking with him first. Plus, he felt a bit guilty for actually being there and still refusing to help.

"No matter," Berritt said, and waved his hand dismissively. "I see you got yourself a broken blade there. I suppose ya want it fixed?"

Link nodded, and Berritt gave a hearty laugh that made some of his tools rattle. "Then you've come to the right place! You run along and I'll have it fixed up in no time!"

With a nod, Link turned to leave before realizing that he still needed a weapon in the meantime. He cleared his throat, and Berritt raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Um." Link scratched the back of his head. "Where can I get another sword?"

Berritt gestured to a bin filled to the brim with weapons near the front of the tent. "Take any you want, laddie. Think of it as a welcoming present."

Link nodded again, and as he left he grabbed the first sword he saw. It was nothing special, a simple broadsword probably used by Hylian soldiers, but the weight felt right in his hand. He slid it into the scabbard on his back and walked out of the tent.

Bright sunlight kissed his cheeks gently. He squinted, allowing his eyes to readjust to the shine of the sun. Sweat was drying on his forehead, and small droplets dripped from his hair. He looked down at his hands. Dirt and grime caked his palms, and his fingernails felt dry and uncomfortable. His red Hylian tunic was drenched with sweat, and so were his pants.

 _I need a shower_ , he thought. _And a change of clothes_.

The barracks were down the road, and he knew for a fact that the Sheikah villagers had provided the Rebellion with running water. But he wasn't a soldier, and therefore wouldn't be allowed to use the facilities.

He looked around, wondering what in the world he could use for a bathtub, when suddenly the waterfalls behind Impa's house caught his eye. An idea began to form in his head.

He wended his way through the crowd of villagers and soldiers walking to and fro on the thoroughfare, until he finally made it to the bridge leading to the village elder's abode. Walking quietly, he stole across the bridge and behind the house.

With a quick glance over his shoulder to ensure nobody could see him, he stripped down to his underwear. He carefully tiptoed to the edge of the cliff in front of him, dirty clothes in hand, and was just about to dive into the cool water below when he heard a shout from somewhere behind him.

"LINK! WHAT IN THE NAME OF HYLIA ARE YOU DOING?!"

He whirled around to see who had yelled, and as he did he lost his footing and tumbled off of the cliff with an undignified yelp.

 _Splash!_

He hit the water with an enough force to make his back sting, but when the pain had subsided he supposed he was at least a little cleaner. He grabbed his clothes from where they bobbed nearby and swam to the edge of the pond, then climbed out and trekked back up to Impa's house.

Standing there was Urbosa, hands on her hips, scowling full force at him.

"What on earth was that?" she demanded. "You do realize you took off all of your clothes just below a window to Princess Zelda's personal quarters, don't you?"

Link's eyes shot wide open, and he felt his face turn bright red. "Tell me you're joking," he said, as a queasy feeling filled his stomach. "She didn't see me, did she?"

He hadn't yet mustered the courage to look for an opportunity to see the Princess again, seeing as he had been in the village for less than twenty-four hours. He definitely did not want her first sight of him to be one of him half-naked.

Urbosa rolled her eyes. "Thankfully, no, she didn't. She happens to be out inspecting the soldiers right now, but she'll probably be back any minute, and I'm not sure if it'll be you or me who's more embarrassed if she comes back to the sight of me talking to you without any clothes on."

Link gulped and nodded. "Give me a few seconds."

He put on his tunic and pants faster than he ever had in his whole life. They were still sopping wet, but the coolness of the water felt good. And it was much less embarrassing to be in the presence of Royalty with wet clothes than with no clothes at all.

Urbosa looked at him curiously. "I'm still trying to figure out why in the world you thought it would be a good idea to dive off that cliff in the first place."

Link shrugged. "I needed a bath, and I didn't want to use the showers in the barracks."

"Why not?"

"Well," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I thought that because I wasn't a proper soldier…" he trailed off.

Urbosa put her face in her hand. "Link," she sighed, "did you honestly think you couldn't use the showers because you're not 'officially' part of the Rebellion?"

He nodded sheepishly.

"You're kind of an idiot, you know that?" Urbosa sighed and shook her head.

Link didn't say anything. But he did give her a flicker of a smile when he heard her chuckle.

"Of course, I can be just as much of an idiot sometimes. I guess I can't fault you for wanting to do the right thing." She sat down, and waved to him, inviting him to do the same.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"I suppose," Link replied.

"You weren't yourself last night. Did something happen while you were gone?"

He shrugged uncomfortably. "I think I'm a little nervous. This is a lot to take in. I still have yet to see Daruk, Mipha, or Princess Zelda again, and I guess I'm just concerned I'm going to make a fool of myself in front of them."

Urbosa laughed almost as heartily as Berritt. "I think as long as you keep your clothes on, you'll be fine," she said, giving him a playful shove.

"I guess so," he said. "Have you seen Revali yet? He flew off while I was on my way here and I haven't seen him since."

"He arrived yesterday morning," Urbosa replied. "Right now he's running a scouting mission for the Princess, actually."

"What's her role in all of this?" Link asked. "Is she actually in charge or is she just a figurehead?"

"No, she's actually our leader, much to the dismay of many of the leaders of the Hylian provinces." Urbosa let out a sigh and gazed off into the distance. "The only tribe leaders who approve of her direct involvement are Impa and King Dorephan of the Zora."

"Are they your only allies, then?"

"Oh, no." Urbosa shook her head. "We've garnered support from nearly every race and tribe in Hyrule. They may not agree with our princess's leadership, but they sympathize with our cause. They want to see Ganondorf dead as much as you or I."

"You must really want him dead," he noted. "There's no grace from you for the fact that he's a Gerudo?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Urbosa said with a sneer as she clenched her jaw. "Just because we're of the same race doesn't mean I have to like the man. He's a liar, a thief, and a murderer. The Gerudo people have always been a proud and noble race. Ganondorf's very existence is a disgrace to my heritage."

"Do all of your people feel that way?"

Urbosa shrugged. "I think so," she said, "but I can't be entirely sure. So far I'm the only Gerudo to enlist in the Rebellion."

"Why's that?"

"Oh, I suppose it's because they want to avoid a conflict. We may be strong and proud, but in matters of politics we've always been very isolated from the rest of Hyrule."

"But isn't this any different, seeing as how this directly involves a Gerudo?"

With a sigh, Urbosa closed her eyes and ran a manicured hand through her red hair. "It's not as simple as just 'involving a Gerudo.' You have to understand that Ganondorf is a very, very special case."

Link shot her an inquisitive look, and she elaborated. "A male Gerudo is only born once every hundred years. He is by tradition automatically to become the chief of the Gerudo tribe, a practice that's been in place for millennia. In fact, it's been a tradition for over ten thousand years."

"That's a long time," Link quipped.

"The birth of a male Gerudo is something we vai usually only dream about. And of course, it isn't a natural process; every hundred years a woman is chosen by the current chieftess to bear the child, and the tribe's shaman works a little bit of magic, then pop!" Urbosa made a little "popping" noise with her mouth, "out comes a voe, just like that."

"Just like that, huh?" Link found himself somewhat disgusted by the tradition. Obviously he didn't have children of his own but the idea of a woman being able to conceive without, well, _that_ was almost unbelievable.

Almost.

He pushed the thought aside coughed nervously. "Were you there when Ganondorf was born?"

"No, silly." Urbosa laughed. "Ganondorf is about twenty or so years older than I am. He's probably old enough to be my father." She paused to stick out her tongue. "I can't believe I actually just said that. Can you think of anything more repulsive?"

Link didn't answer.

Urbosa cleared her throat. "Anybody else, and I think the rest of the tribe would have backed the Rebellion almost immediately. But because our lovely Emperor just happens to be a male, well, the Gerudo turning on him would be madness. And because he hasn't directly threatened my people, as a whole we don't have a good reason to turn against him."

"But you're here, obviously," Link pointed out. "Why'd you personally choose to oppose him?"

"Well, and you know this just as well as I do, I'm more than just a Gerudo. I'm a Champion of Hyrule, which means that my loyalty to the Royal Family supersedes my loyalty to my people. Ganondorf is a direct threat to the Royal Family, and thus I'm obligated to do everything I can to stop him," she explained. "But it doesn't hurt that my leader just happens to be my closest friend."

Link started to reply, but just then the sound of a horn rang through the village. Urbosa hauled herself to her feet with a groan, then offered a hand to Link, helping him up as well. "That's the horn signaling the army's return," she said. "If you don't want to get trampled, I suggest you steer clear of the barracks."

Sure enough, just then a thundering of footsteps met Link's ears, and several hundred Hylian, Goron, and Zora soldiers walked through the North Gate. For an army, the number wasn't all that big; it was about a fifth of the size of the old Hyrulean Royal Guard that Link had trained under.

But for a Rebellion, the number was rather impressive. Link definitely hadn't expected this many soldiers, and the diversity within the marching ranks was rather astounding. Maybe he hadn't given the Rebellion enough credit.

"There's no way the barracks can fit that many people," he told Urbosa, not looking away from the army.

"Oh, but it can," Urbosa said, sounding like she was smirking. "And it does."

"How? That hut looks like it could barely hold five people, much less five hundred."

"See, that's the beauty of Sheikah tech. Impa had the best and brightest of her engineers modify every house in the village to accommodate the size of our forces," Urbosa explained. "That particular hut happens to have an entire man-made cave system built underneath it."

Link had to admit that was pretty impressive. "Do you sleep there as well, then, since there's room?" he asked.

"My, aren't you the inquisitive one?" she chuckled. "No. We Champions actually have private quarters in Impa's house, along with Princess Zelda. It's easier for us to keep an eye out for danger that way, and keeps the men _under control_ , if you get my meaning." She gave him a wink, and he rolled his eyes.

Within a few minutes, the army had completely retreated into the hut, and the only straggler was a Hylian woman with blonde hair dressed in a light blue tunic.

Link's stomach twisted. It didn't take a genius to guess who he was looking at.

"Nervous?" asked Urbosa, giving him pointed nudge. "You have a right to be, you know."

He nodded, and took a deep breath. "I feel like I won't even know her anymore," he said. "Four years is a long time, Urbosa."

"Well, I can tell you that from my point of view, she hasn't changed very much."

"You're also not the one who suggested we leave in the first place."

"She's not going to blame you for that, Link. Believe me, if we hadn't have separated, the Rebellion might not even exist."

The distant figure began to make her way towards Impa's house, and Urbosa clapped Link on the back. "Trust me. Just act natural. You'll be alright."

"I doubt that," he muttered.

Link's heart pounded. He wanted to run far, far away, but it was too late to try without Zelda noticing. She was fifty feet away. He snuck a nervous glance to Urbosa, who was casually inspecting her fingernails. They were painted blue, he noticed.

Thirty feet away. Link bit his lip as his heart raced. Muscles in his hands tensed as he clenched his sweating palms.

Twenty-five feet away. Beads of sweat formed anew on his forehead. His wet clothes were suddenly too heavy, almost suffocating.

Twenty feet away. It was getting harder to breath.

Fifteen feet away. He pulled at his hair to conceal his face. It clung to his forehead and cheeks uncomfortably but he didn't dare move it.

Ten feet away. Time slowed as she ascended the steps.

Five feet away. She came to a halt directly in front of him.

He couldn't get a great view of her behind all his hair, but from what he could tell she pursed her lips and knit her eyebrows, her eyes roving about Link's physique, obviously curious.

"Urbosa," her smooth, gentle voice was soft. "Is this a new recruit?"

Urbosa laughed. "I suppose you could say that, your highness."

Link exhaled, thanking the goddesses that his hair had indeed hidden his identity.

"Why wasn't he with the others? You know better than anybody that recruits report to me for inspections." The Princess's voice took on an authoritative note.

"This one's a special case, your highness. I thought it would be better if I, er, surprised you with his abilities."

The Princess rolled her eyes. "First the birthday nonsense, now this? Urbosa, I could use a bit of reassurance that you are not completely losing your mind."

"Zelda," said Urbosa, placing a hand on the Princess' arm, "this is the birthday nonsense. He's the gift."

He saw Zelda glance back at him again, still completely oblivious to his identity. "A gift?" she asked, exasperated. "I see nothing more than a wet, scrawny boy with long hair! How is he a gift?"

Urbosa elbowed him discreetly, and, giving a sigh, Link closed his eyes then reluctantly pulled his bangs out of his face, so that she could see him properly, and he her. He opened his eyes slowly and carefully, almost wincing; she was staring at him in wide-eyed surprise.

And she was infinitely more beautiful than he remembered her to be.

Her blonde hair, so often braided and pulled back out of her face, now fell loosely down her back and over her shoulders, framing her cheeks with liquid gold. In the sunlight, her eyes shone a clear, unbroken green, like emeralds, and her pale face all but glowed. For a moment she looked like a goddess, like Hylia incarnate.

"L-Link?" she stuttered.

"Hey," he said.

He managed to muster a goofy grin before he fainted.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Link was beginning to understand that size alone did not equal victory for an army. The Rebellion's "army" might have looked formidable, but it certainly didn't act like it. Throughout the ranks, there seemed to be a lack of any kind of formal training in either weapons or discipline.

 _I need a break as much as these poor sods need professional sword lessons,_ Link thought. Training was boring. At least when he'd been by himself the other day, he hadn't needed to worry about anybody's incompetence but his own. Now, he was dealing with hundreds of people, and half of them didn't even seem to know how to hold a weapon.

He was starting to wonder when something _interesting_ would actually happen.

Granted, he'd only been in Kakariko for three days thus far, but he had anticipated a rebellion being exciting and fresh, with a new adventure to tackle every day. Rustic camping trips, intense sword fights, and maybe even some horseback archery had been on the top of his to-do list.

But so far all that had happened in the past three days was training, training, and more training. Most of which he himself had been leading.

Once he had regained consciousness, Princess Zelda had asked him what his plans were regarding the Rebellion. He had politely told her he was still only considering joining. She had politely nodded and told him to take his time, it made no difference to her.

Though, from the way she had said it, it had certainly _sounded_ like it made a difference.

Nonetheless, Urbosa had given him permission to help her train new recruits in the fields outside the village, an opportunity he had greedily snatched, thinking it might help show the princess that he really was there to help. And so here he stood, dodging clumsy strokes and teaching grown men how to hold swords properly.

Yes, this was definitely the life he had been missing in the wild.

"Link!" Urbosa shouted from several meters away, "Quit daydreaming! Do the job I gave you, for crying out loud!"

Link nodded awkwardly, and turned to his current "pupil," a blue Zora named Eto, whose weapon of choice was a spear.

"Alright," he said, "show me what you can do." He pulled his shield from his back and drew his sword. "Whenever you're ready."

Link half expected the poor soul to quaver in fear, maybe barely poking and prodding if he could even manage that. Instead, Eto launched into a flurry of expert jabs and thrusts, most of which Link had great difficulty blocking.

When Eto was through, Link was sure he looked as shocked as he felt. This guy was _good_ , whoever he was.

When Link told Eto as much, the Zora's face turned bright red. "Thank you, sir," he mumbled sheepishly.

"Who trained you?" Link asked, though he was almost positive he already knew.

Those thrusts, the agility, the speed required to attack at such a caliber… There was only one Zora in all of Hyrule capable wielding a spear like that. And she wasn't even much of a fighter.

Eto nodded to something behind Link. " _She_ did."

Link whirled around. Even though he'd suspected as much, his eyes still grew wide from a faint sense of surprise.

Walking toward him was none other than Mipha, princess of the Zora tribe.

Link put his sword away, smiling broadly at the sight of his old friend. Mipha smiled back, and once she was close enough she threw her arms around his neck.

"Hello, Link," said, and her gentle voice made his face grow warm.

He hugged her tightly, closing his eyes. All of his nerves must have faded away in the past few days, because he felt no shame embracing her, and it didn't feel awkward in the least.

After a brief moment, they separated, and Mipha nodded to Eto. "I see you've met my younger cousin," she said. Link supposed it made sense that they would be related. That was probably the only reason Mipha had taught him in the first place.

"Yes," he said with a chuckle. "He's quite the spear fighter. You taught him well; he's _almost_ better than you. You must be an excellent teacher."

"No, _he's_ an excellent student," she quipped, though as she did she furrowed her brow and brushed a strand of Link's hair out of his face. "My, didn't your father ever teach you how to cut your hair?"

Link laughed, though he felt his face redden a bit. "I sort of like it long, after all."

Now it was Mipha's turn to laugh. "Imagine that," she said sarcastically. "I seem to recall you telling me you would never, ever grow out your hair."

"Well, that _was_ over fifteen years ago," Link replied, almost pensively. "A lot of life has happened between now and then." He paused. "You're right, though. I do need to cut it."

Mipha opened her mouth to talk again, but caught sight of Urbosa glaring at them. "I really should be going," she said. "They have need of me in the infirmary."

Link nodded. "Of course. I have work to do here, anyway."

Mipha quickly hugged him again, then jogged off in the opposite direction. Link sighed. It was hard to catch up with old friends when there was so much expected of them.

Then again, his friends had volunteered for this. And though he still technically wasn't part of the Rebellion quite yet, he had volunteered to help as well. After all, this was for the greater good of Hyrule.

He'd just have to talk with her later.

"Alright, Eto," he said, turning back to the Zora, "that was impressive, but let me give you a few quick pointers…"

* * *

"…and he thinks he can waltz back into my life, say a simple 'hullo,' faint, and tell me that he's basically only here on vacation?"

Zelda was furious, as she had been for the past several days. It genuinely bothered her that he was out there, training _her_ soldiers, aiding _her_ rebellion, and yet wasn't willing to commit to it himself.

"Zelda, dear," Impa said calmly, "don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?"

"Am I?" she cried as she paced back and forth across the floor. "What would you do if you were in my shoes?"

Impa shrugged. "I think I would understand that the poor boy still needs time to adjust, and acknowledge that he is at liberty to make his own choices."

Zelda huffed indignantly. In her heart she knew Impa was probably right. Heaven knew what Link had gone through in the past four years. He was also no longer her personal knight, although if Zelda were honest with herself, she sometimes wished otherwise. He _was_ technically free to make his own choices.

"Ugh," she groaned, crossing her arms as she turned to Impa with a scowl. "You're right. I hate it when you're right."

Impa chuckled. "Zelda, you'll get nowhere with that sort of attitude," she said, shaking her head. "Why don't you just try talking to him?"

Pulling her hair, Zelda sighed. "And tell him _what_?"

"I don't know, that you're glad to see him again after four years?"

Well, right then Zelda wasn't entirely sure that she _was_ glad to see him again after four years. Impa was still right, though: Link needed time to adjust, regardless of how Zelda felt about it.

Zelda nodded reluctantly, a sour look crossing her face. "Fine, Impa. You win. I'll talk to him."

As she stormed from the house, it took every bone in her body not to slam the door on her way out.

* * *

"How much longer until we reach this blasted village?" Ganondorf demanded. It had been days since his small party had departed from Hyrule Castle to investigate this so-called "rebellion."

One of his soldiers, Rumi or Romi or something of the sort—he had no time to remember such trivialities—turned to him and said, "Not much, milord. At our current pace, we shall arrive in Kakariko in roughly five hours."

 _Which is not nearly fast enough,_ Ganondorf thought with a sigh, putting a clenched fist to his chin. He grew weary of chasing the Princess, but knew it was only a matter of time before something led him to her, one way or another.

He also knew that as long as she still stood in his way, he would not truly be Hyrule's king, regardless of his title. So, if he could help it, he wished to be rid of her sooner rather than later.

The carriage hit a bump in the road, and he was thrown forward a few feet, his head bumping against the ceiling. Gritting his teeth and rubbing his head, he cursed under his breath.

"Apologies, milord," called the coachman from outside, and Ganondorf could barely detect the slightest fearful quaver in his voice. "Too many stones on this road."

Ganondorf resisted the urge to yell, though not because he cared about the well-being of the pathetic urchin. It was simply bad form to lose one's temper in public.

With another sigh, Ganondorf slumped back in his seat and closed his eyes. Maybe when he awoke, he would finally be rid of Princess Zelda.

* * *

"So," said the Princess, clearing her throat, "let me first and foremost apologize for not being more hospitable to you upon your, er, _untimely_ arrival."

Link shrugged. "You were busy. I arrived in the middle of the night. I can't blame you for not welcoming me."

They sat on the small bridge in front of the goddess statue, at the center of the village. Link had initially been hesitant to the idea of sitting alone with the Princess of Hyrule in the middle of the village where everyone who passed by could, and frankly _would_ , see them, but Zelda had asserted that this was the particular spot where they would sit, and so that was where they would sit. Everyone else would simply have to deal with it. They had received a few questionable glances and shocked stares from a few passers-by but for the most part they had been left alone.

"No, Link," Zelda objected, "as leader of the Rebellion it was my duty to-"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, your highness. You are only one woman." He kept his tone carefully flat and his face even. There was a part of him that still wasn't entirely sure how to speak to her, and until he could figure it out he wasn't about to risk impoliteness.

Then again, he was pretty sure it wasn't exactly polite to be in the presence of royalty without any shoes on. And given that his boots were sitting five feet away from them, and that Zelda so far Zelda had given no objection, he supposed he hadn't crossed any lines yet.

He could have sworn he saw a flicker of a smile cross Zelda's face. "You are too kind, Link," she said, looking away from him.

He scratched the back of his head, waiting for her to say something else. She didn't.

He dipped a bare toe into the water below them. "This pond is nice," he noted awkwardly.

Goddesses, what was he saying? He had never been an expert at making conversation with anyone, but usually with Zelda he could have at least formulated some sort of insightful comment. Had spending four years in solitude messed with his ability to talk to people?

Zelda shot him a curious glance. "I suppose it is?"

There had to be some way to keep the conversation moving, because it was clearly going nowhere. "I meant the water," he said, his cheeks flushing. "It feels good."

Zelda's eyebrows furrowed, before she giggled. "You certainly have a way with words, don't you?"

Link's face turned even redder, and he shut up.

Several moments of silence passed, and it occurred to Link that maybe he just needed to try a different approach to making conversation. Any observation he could possibly make would seem trivial to her, anyway. He decided he'd ask a question instead.

For a brief moment, he considered asking her about why she needed to speak with him. But there was a good possibility that the conversation would, of course, turn to his enlistment in the Rebellion, so he thought it best to leave that subject alone.

"So," he said, "how did all of this start?" he asked, waving a hand to the surrounding village.

Zelda shrugged. "The idea simply popped into my head one night about three years or so ago. Naturally Impa tried talking me out of it, but I wouldn't take no for an answer. Move ahead a few years and here we are."

Link chucked softly. "You always were very headstrong."

For a moment Zelda's eyes grew wide at the notion, and Link knew he'd spoken out of place. But before he could apologize, her face relaxed and she sighed, grinning as she pulled a few loose strands of hair away from her cheek. "Yes, I suppose I was," she said. "You would know better than anyone."

"Was that sarcasm?"

Zelda laughed. "Maybe a tad," she teased. Her smile shifted to an almost remorseful frown, and her gaze fell. "Link, I'm afraid I must apologize to you."

"What for?" he asked, confused.

"Well," she said, and paused sheepishly, "for the past several days I haven't exactly been very happy with you."

"Oh," was his only reply. It certainly didn't surprise him. It also didn't make him feel like a very good person, but at least now he knew that his suspicions about her attitude toward him were confirmed.

Zelda went on. "I was furious that you seemed to have no regard for the rebellion or our cause. I tried to force my personal expectations onto you, regardless of what you yourself wanted. I'm sorry for that."

Link smirked. "I forgive you."

There was another moment of silence, before Zelda's face brightened and she turned back to him eagerly.

"Have you made a decision yet?" she asked.

He clenched his teeth behind sealed lips. What was he to say? He hadn't had much time to think about it yet. He definitely didn't want to disappoint Zelda, but he also wasn't entirely sure he was ready to commit to it quite yet.

Besides, there was still the matter of her father. Although being with his friends for a few days had helped with his boredom, it hadn't healed the pain of the king's death. Even if Zelda didn't hold him responsible for it, he wasn't ready to forgive himself just yet.

Then again, if he wasn't ready now, would he ever be?

Everything about the rebellion was appealing. Not only would he be able to spend time with his friends again but he would also be part of the movement to stop Ganondorf from taking over Hyrule once and for all. That in itself should have been enough to make up his mind. And four years ago, it would have been.

Tears pooled in his eyes. Why couldn't he just accept that there was nothing more he could have done and move on?

Zelda interrupted his thoughts by gently grasping his hand. "Link." Her voice was soft.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the growing lump in his throat made it impossible.

"Do you still remember the promise you made to me four years ago?"

His heart skipped a beat. Suddenly his own words came flooding back into his mind:

' _I swear on my life that I will never stop fighting to make sure Ganondorf will do no more harm to you or those you love.'_

It was up to him to keep that promise, regardless of how unsure he felt. If nothing else, he was a man of his word.

Zelda squeezed his hand gently. "Link, I know you might not be ready, but-"

"No," he interrupted, and knelt reverently, just as he had four years prior. Bowing his head, he placed his arm across his chest once more. Suddenly, they were the only people in the village, in the world. "I made a vow on my life to you, Princess Zelda. As a Knight of the Royal Family of Hyrule, I _will_ fulfill that vow, whatever the cost."

Zelda put a fingertip under his chin, lifting his face so that his eyes met hers. "Is that a yes, then?"

Link grinned and opened his mouth, but before he could speak he heard the whinny of horses in the distance. Puzzled, he sprang to his feet, and helped Zelda to hers.

"Is that a patrol?" he asked as he quickly pulled on his boots.

Zelda shook her head slowly. "No," she said, her voice laden with suspicion. "I never approved any patrols today. Those aren't Rebellion horses."

A knot began to form in Link's stomach. As much as he wanted to believe that it was probably nothing more than a traveling merchant or something, he feared the worse.

Urgently, he grabbed Zelda's hand, and she looked at him with obvious fear in her eyes. "You need to get out of here," he said, his tone deadly serious. "Now."

She nodded reluctantly, and they began to run in the direction of Impa's house. The sound of the horses grew louder and louder, and now Link could hear the rumbling and creaking of wheels as well.

Right as they reached the staircase, the horses crossed the threshold of the village. Attached to them was an ornate carriage, decorated in the fashion of the Royal Family. Zelda froze, and though Link tried to pull her up the stairs, she refused to move, wanting to see who rode inside the carriage.

Link's heart pounded as he heard the metallic click of the door unlatching. He had to admit he was curious, but if his suspicions—his fears—were correct, he would wish he had never bothered to linger on the stairs. Droplets of sweat gathered on his forehead, and his knees began to shake. He let go of Zelda's hand, but even as he did he could feel the way she was trembling.

The doors of the carriage swung open, hinges bending with a long creak, and two barbaric-looking ruffians stepped out, each armed to the teeth with swords and spears and daggers. Link was pretty sure he even saw a knife attached to the boot of one of the thugs. Each had a scar on their face, one with a nasty gash across his left cheek and the other with a cut that ran from the top of his bald head down to his eye, which was nothing more than a milky-white orb. They each sneered maliciously the moment they saw the princess standing there. The one with the damaged eye even licked his lips.

Link drew his sword and took a protective stance in front of Zelda as a third pair of feet stepped out of the carriage. Slowly but surely the rest of the intruder's body became visible. Arms as large as tree trunks, legs as thick as pillars. Purple armor rimmed with gold at the edges, a large regal cape resting on his impossibly broad shoulders. With him he carried a large black broadsword, and his large mane of long red hair swayed in the gentle breeze. As he stroked his crimson beard Link could see the scar of some kind of puncture wound on his right hand.

Link recognized the wound about as easily as he recognized the man. He had been the one who gave it to him, after all.

Zelda gasped. Link planted his feet. The intruder drew his sword and gave a low chuckle, his lips curled into a malevolent smirk.

"Well, well," said Ganondorf, his voice deep and authoritative. "It seems that our little game of cat and mouse has come to an end, Princess Zelda." He allowed himself a moment of maniacal laughter, and it echoed throughout the suddenly silent village.

"At last, I have found you."

* * *

 _As always, please take a moment to review! I always enjoy your insights and ideas. Sorry for the delay this time around, school has been very busy and this chapter in particular just didn't want to come out. I wrote about 3/4 of it before I basically scrapped the whole thing and started over. But that said, I'm very pleased with this one, and I hope you will be as well!_


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ganondorf's malicious grin remained fixed on his face. He gestured to his sword, swinging it around flashily. "Shall we continue where we left off, Princess?" he chuckled.

Zelda's heart pounded. She did not have pleasant memories of that blade.

Though she could not see his eyes, Link seemed unimpressed. "I'd like to see you try, your highness," he said with feigned reverence.

His feet were still firmly planted, ready to defend her at any moment. In the midst of the fear gripping her heart, Zelda took a small amount of solace in knowing that at least Link was as loyal now as he had been before.

Ganondorf shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk. Always getting in the way."

In one fluid motion, he slammed the back of his free hand across Link's face, knocking him to the ground with a painful crack. A shriek escaped Zelda as she dropped to the ground next to him. With his eyes shut and his body contorted, she couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. Her hand flew to his neck, checking for a pulse. She felt the gentle thump of his heartbeat, and sighed in relief.

Ganondorf began to cackle. "Oh, how touching," he mocked. "Tell me, Princess, what is so important to you about that pathetic commoner?"

Zelda felt her face fill with contempt as she looked up at him. What right did he have to inquire about her feelings? She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "What does it matter to you, Ganondorf?"

"It doesn't, quite frankly," he replied matter-of-factly. "I simply find it intriguing that a person of your stature would place all of her hope in… that." He waved his hand at Link's form, crumpled on the ground.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were simply bitter," she snapped.

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow. "Bitter," he repeated, grimacing as if, ironically, the word left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. "And what exactly do I have to be bitter about?"

"Do I know? Am I your brain?"

Ganondorf seemed taken aback. Scowling, he spoke softly, his voice full of intensity. "You still have not answered my question, Zelda."

Zelda stood and pointed a finger in Ganondorf's face. "You dare to call me by my name?"

"I WILL CALL YOU WHATEVER I PLEASE!" he roared. He raised his sword, poised to strike. "Do you forget that I have the ability to kill you here and now?"

Flinching back, Zelda lost her balance and tumbled to the ground.

The crowd villagers and soldiers that had gathered just stared, dumbfounded. Zelda heard a fierce cry, and one of them, a Hylian man, rushed at Ganondorf. A few more followed suit, apparently empowered by the bravery of the man. It almost looked heroic.

Smoothly and effortlessly, Ganondorf swung his sword at the leader of the charge. Mere seconds later, the poor man's head rolled to the ground with a resounding thud. His body followed suit.

Zelda's throat closed and tears rushed to her eyes as she tried to comprehend what had just occurred. The soldiers stopped dead in their tracks. A few knelt down to their fallen comrade, but most just stood there, frozen. Zelda silently hoped they were struggling to accept this just as much as she was.

The Rebellion had officially had its first casualty.

The crowd erupted into panic. Zelda barely heard her voice somewhere in the distance, but it was hard to process where. She could almost make out the shape of what appeared to be Urbosa struggling against the rest of the crowd gathered apparently trying to hold her back.

Zelda tried to call out to her, but her voice stopped in her throat. Her eyes fell upon the dead Hylian's severed head, its expression a grotesque mixture of anger and fear. This would undoubtedly be the fate that awaited Urbosa should she try to cross Ganondorf.

And yet, Zelda knew nothing would stop Urbosa from trying.

Sure enough, Urbosa broke free of her captors and lunged at Ganondorf. Instead of attacking Urbosa, however, Ganondorf held his blade at Zelda's neck once again. The chill of the dark blade sent shivers down Zelda's spine as every muscle in her body grew tense. She shuddered, afraid to so much as breath lest her throat be cut open.

"Choose your next movement very carefully, Urbosa," said Ganondorf.

Urbosa reluctantly lowered her sword, cursing in Gerudo as she did. "You are a disgrace to your heritage, Ganondorf," she spat. "You soil the name of our ancestors simply by existing."

"You truly believe that?" Ganondorf shook his head, lowering his sword from Zelda's neck. She silently sighed in relief as she relaxed.

Ganondorf continued. "Urbosa, do you actually believe our tribe is noble? That our history is one of pride and honor?"

Urbosa gave no answer. She put a manicured fingernail in her mouth, something Zelda knew for a fact she only did when she was nervous.

Ganondorf chuckled, though it didn't sound very maniacal. To Zelda, he almost sounded...disappointed.

"Then you are even more naïve than I imagined."

Urbosa scowled. "Get away from the princess, pig," she muttered, clenching her fists.

Ganondorf sighed. "I'm afraid I just can't do that. You see, as much as I'd love to just let her go, she still technically stands in the way of the throne."

"How?" Urbosa demanded. "You've already made yourself Emperor. Is that not enough to satisfy your ambitions?"

"Until I dispose of her..." Ganondorf pointed a beefy finger at Zelda. "My title is nothing. The people still believe _she_ is their ruler. Only by ridding myself of her will anybody see me as the true ruler of Hyrule." He raised his sword again, ready to bring it down upon her. "That is why she must die."

Zelda's insides did a somersault. She knew that was his plan all along, but just hearing him say it out loud made her sick.

She gulped, finally finding her voice once again.

Trembling, she addressed Ganondorf weakly. "If you want to kill me so badly, then why haven't you?"

Ganondorf did not reply. For a moment he stayed there, his arm suspended in midair, so still that the only indication he was still alive was the occasional blink.

Then, slowly, carefully, he brought the sword back to his side. "Fire, love and wind," he cursed, the fingers of his free hand clenching into a tight fist. "Four years I have sought you like a wolf pursues a deer, ready to sink my fangs into your flesh, to feel the warmth of your blood running down my face. And now, here I am-" he gestured to the surrounding area, "-and, by some divine prank, my jaws will not open."

Zelda shuddered. He couldn't really have been imagining eating her, could he?

"Consider yourself lucky, Princess," Ganondorf growled. "The next time we meet you may not find yourself so fortunate."

Zelda said nothing.

"In any case," he continued, "my reason for being here has nothing to do with you, as it happens. In fact, I was not even remotely aware that you had any part in this for as long as I've been hearing about it.

"No, I'm here because a few of your precious Sheikah farmers have chosen to defy me directly by not paying their taxes. I have come to settle this matter with them."

"Wh-what do you plan to do to them?" Zelda asked feebly.

The smirk returned to Ganondorf's lips. "Wouldn't you like to know? That is my business."

Zelda knew then what he intended to do. She knew he was not a man of mercy, nor of dignity, and she was well aware of the strength he possessed. It was no secret that he did not take kindly to being crossed by anyone.

All things considered, there was only one logical conclusion she could come to:

He was here to make an example of them.

"No, Ganondorf!" she exclaimed, springing to her feet with tears of anger in her eyes. "I won't let you do this! You shall not lay as much as a finger on anyone in this village!"

Lunging forward, Ganondorf grabbed her by the throat and raised her off the ground with one hand. She desperately grabbed and kicked at her captor in hopes that she might be free. When she tried to speak, the only sound she could make was a series of painful gasps.

Urbosa tried to help, but one of Ganondorf's henchman grabbed her. For the first time in her life, Urbosa was unable to break free.

"I will do whatever I please to whomever I please. Do I make myself clear?" Ganondorf hissed.

He opened his fist, and Zelda crumpled to the ground, gasping for air as she did. She nodded feebly, seeing no other option than to give him the answer he wanted.

He leaned down close to her face, so close that she could feel his breath on her cheek. "Good," he whispered, yanking her chin upwards so that her eyes met his. "Now, I am going to take care of my business, and you are going to help me. You will take me to the two farmers who have refused to pay my taxes. You will bring them here, into the center of the village. And when you are finished, you will wake your pathetic knight—if you can even call him that—and the two of you will watch as I tear each of the offenders limb from limb."

Zelda drew a ragged breath. "And if I refuse to help you?"

Ganondorf laughed again, before pointing to Link. "It would be a waste of my time to travel all this way to not kill somebody." His laugh grew louder. "And since for whatever reason I cannot kill you, I'll just have to make an example out of your lovely knight here instead."

Her heart raced. She couldn't betray her people. She wouldn't.

But the alternative meant losing Link.

Tears flooding her eyes, she wondered what in the world she was going to do.

* * *

Link awoke to an excruciating headache. He really couldn't pinpoint what part of his head hurt so badly; he just knew that something—everything—hurt.

Wincing, he opened his eyes. Instantly he was greeted by bright sunlight, and he instinctively squinted as his eyes adjusted and fresh pain stabbed through his skull. He looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

He was lying in the grass, and something, no, some _one_ behind him was gently stroking his hair. Standing a few feet away from him was a pair of middle-aged people, a man and a woman, both dressed in Sheikah garb. A crowd of people stood gathered off to the right, watching something intently. Link could just barely make out Urbosa and Mipha standing before them, as if they were guards.

Looking down at his hands, he could see a sword lying next to him, as if he had dropped it. He focused his attention on the person behind him, and he was surprised to see Zelda staring down at him. Her cheeks were wet and her eyes puffy, a clear indication that she had been crying about something. Nevertheless, she smiled at him reassuringly, although he wasn't really aware of what he needed reassurance for.

And then, beyond Zelda, he saw Ganondorf.

Almost instantly, everything rushed back to him. He remembered the carriage, the thugs, Ganondorf striking him. Evidently that had been enough of a blow to render him unconscious. Given how much his head hurt, he wasn't surprised.

It suddenly occurred to him that Zelda was still alive. Not that he wasn't immensely grateful, but it shouldn't have been possible. Ganondorf had spent four years looking for her, so why he hadn't even bothered to kill her was beyond Link's comprehension.

 _That doesn't matter,_ he thought. _As long as she is alive._

"The hero awakens," Ganondorf said with a sneer.

Grimacing from the pain in his head, Link gritted his teeth and groaned as he sat up. "What's going on here, Ganondorf?"

"Do you really have the audacity to address your emperor in such a personal manner?" he asked.

Link scoffed.

"You'll never be my emperor, filthskin."

Ganondorf seemed taken aback by the racial slur, which pleased Link. His vicious smile turned into an angry scowl, and he drew his sword with slow, deadly intent.

"I see," he said. "You will regret this, boy, make no mistake." Fixing his gaze on Zelda, he raised his eyebrows. "Well, Princess? What is your choice?"

Choice? What was she choosing?

Zelda was clearly distressed about something, and she kept glancing back and forth between him and the pair of elderly Sheikah, almost as if...

Oh goddesses. Ganondorf wasn't going to kill Zelda.

He was going to kill the villagers.

"Zelda," Link said urgently, momentarily forgetting his pain. "You know what you have to do, don't you?"

Zelda didn't respond, her gaze teary and absent. Link's heart began to pound as he looked to the panicked villagers, holding each other in obvious fear. He knew her too well to know exactly what she was going to choose.

She was benevolent, but naïve. She was kind, but cared too deeply about those she was close to.

She loved her people, but she loved her friends even more.

Link grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. "Zelda, save them, do you hear me?" he pleaded, his voice quavering, his hands shaking. "You have to save them."

Her lips trembled, and then she burst into tears, burying her face into his shoulder. "I can't," she sobbed, her tears soaking his tunic. "I can't lose you again, not now!"

"Hey now," he said, gripping her shoulders lightly. He tried to sound calm for her. "You can't think like that. They're depending on you."

She shuddered in his grip. "Yes, but so are you. I won't choose this, Link."

He moved her away from him, and as he did she glanced at him curiously. He flashed her a pained smile as he staggered to his feet. Wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword, hepulled it to his side.

"Then I will."

Though he clearly wasn't in any state to protect himself, much less anyone else, his mind was made up. It didn't matter how much pain he was in, or how weary he felt. As long as there was breath in his lungs, he wouldn't let Ganondorf hurt anyone else.

And last he checked, he was still breathing.

He took a step toward Ganondorf, ignoring Zelda's cries to come back as Urbosa restrained her. His grip on his sword tightened as he approached the false emperor.

Ganondorf just stood there, dumbfounded. Then, he suddenly started to laugh before speaking again.

"You're even more foolish than I thought!" he cackled, his tone laden with mockery. "Shooting me in the hand was ludicrous, but justifiable. Trying to defend the princess from me was equally perplexing, but noble, at the least. But this?" Ganondorf gestured to Link's drawn sword as he practically fell over from maniacal laughter. "This is easily the most stupid thing I have ever seen anyone do."

Somewhere deep inside of him, Link felt something. It was almost as if a fire had been sparked in the depths of his soul. There was no explanation for its cause, or even what it was, but suddenly any fatigue or pain he had felt prior vanished. There was only a fierce desire to protect, to fight, to win.

This was not a fight Ganondorf would win easily.

With a fierce cry rising from his stomach to his throat, Link raised his sword high above his head and charged. It was as if his whole body was operating without his guidance. His body was an untamed animal, moving and acting automatically.

He launched himself across the grass, straight to Ganondorf. He did not see the shock, the fear in his adversary's gaze as he struck Ganondorf's arm, cutting a deep gash into it and soliciting a howl of pain from its owner.

With a roar of rage, Ganondorf slashed at Link's abdomen. Smoothly and effortlessly, Link backflipped away from the reach of the blade, and returned with a jab to Ganondorf's own stomach. Ganondorf just barely sidestepped the attack, throwing Link off balance. The momentum of his thrust threw him to the ground, and he heard Ganondorf grunt from strain. A heartbeat later, the blade of the Emperor's sword struck the earth centimeters from his head.

He rolled away and sprang to his feet, only to be knocked back down by a swift kick to his chest. He felt the crack of his ribs as acutely as he heard it, and as he hit the ground he was met with excruciating pain in his chest.

 _Fight through it,_ he thought. _It's only temporary._ He ignored the agony and rose to his feet once again. Before Ganondorf had a chance to respond, Link swung straight for his stomach.

The attack was stopped short by his armor, but it was enough to throw him off guard for a split second. Link brought his sword high above his head and leapt into the air, yelling as loud as he could. With all of his might, he drove the blade straight into Ganondorf's face.

Too slowly, he tried to dodge backwards, and Link felt the impact as he just caught Ganondorf's face. The sword sliced into his cheek, and he dropped his sword, yelling and cursing as he gingerly cupped his face. As blood began to pool and drip between his fingers, his two cronies rushed to his side, reaching out to help, but he swatted their hands away and yelled something in a language Link didn't recognize.

Sudden sharp pain in the front of his head made him cry out. He barely felt his sword slip from his fingers, clattering to the ground. Soon his entire body followed suit, the mixture of pain and strange fatigue suddenly being too much for him to bear. Within seconds, his eyes fell shut and he succumbed to the gentle lull of peaceful unconsciousness.

* * *

The moment he fell, Zelda was at his side. The entire fight must have taken barely a minute, but it had felt like an eternity. Every second she had watched Link defend against Ganondorf had made her heart tremble.

And then she had watched him cry out, and then collapse, and…

Well, it wasn't without reason that she feared the worst.

 _It's okay,_ she assured herself, frantically checking for a pulse. Once more, the fierce thump of his heartbeat pulsed against her fingertips. She breathed a sigh of relief. _He's fine._

It was over now. Link was hurt, but resting. Ganondorf had clearly been bested, at least for the moment. The villagers were safe. That was what mattered.

The crowd that had gathered began to cheer wildly, and despite the speed at which her heart was beating, Zelda couldn't help but smile. She had been right about Link after all.

Ganondorf, still covering half of his face, turned to Zelda. He silently approached her, giving her a cold, calculating, one-eyed stare. "I have had enough of this foolishness," he snarled, his voice low and menacing, barely audible among the cheers of the Sheikah. "Do not think this ends here."

With that, he whistled to his henchmen and barked something in what sounded like Gerudo, and the trio climbed into the carriage.

As the coachman directed the horse out of the village, Ganondorf looked straight at Zelda through the window. He lifted his hand from his cheek, revealing a sight that made Zelda sick to her stomach.

All along his right cheek, Ganondorf now bore a tremendous gash. His eye was split open in the middle, a vile mixture of blood and other… fluids pouring out of the open wound. The skin of his cheek hung loosely, cut away from the muscle.

"There will be a price for this, Zelda, make no mistake," he growled, covering his eye once again. "And believe me, I will take much, much more from that impudent whelp you hold so dear than just an eye. You have been warned."

And just as quickly as it had arrived, the carriage departed.

Air flooded back into Zelda's lungs, though she was only now aware that she had been holding her breath at all. Turning her attention back on Link, she found herself relieved that she now had the chance to thoroughly examine his wounds.

"Your highness."

She whirled around to see Urbosa standing above her once again, a look of sadness on her face.

"Are you alright, Zelda?" she asked.

"That's not important right now," Zelda said urgently. "Link's badly injured. He needs medical attention immediately."

Urbosa nodded. "I'll have someone take him to–"

"No." Zelda shook her head. "I want to do it."

Urbosa looked confused and even a little suspicious, but nodded anyway. "Fine. I'll help you."

They gently hoisted his battered body onto their shoulders, taking care not to touch his injured chest or swelling face. It bothered Zelda to think about how much pain he would be in when he regained consciousness. She was certain that the kick he'd taken probably looked only about half as painful as it must have felt.

What bothered her even more was that he had gladly taken that kick, as well as all the other injuries he had sustained from the fight, for her. For her people. He had risked his life to do that which she had been unable to do herself. And in a peculiar sort of way, that frightened her.

Well, maybe frightened wasn't the right term. She was grateful, and even a little relieved, to have that sort of devotion on her side. It was something she'd desperately need if she was to have any hope of winning this war against Ganondorf. But the very fact that he had done it without any hesitation whatsoever made her nauseous when she thought of what it could mean if he was pitted against a foe far beyond his skillset.

Of course, his run-in with Ganondorf hadn't exactly been a very fair fight. And, as far as anyone else was concerned, he had performed marvelously.

Could that mean...?

"Urbosa," Zelda said contemplatively, watching Link's face, "do you think he could be the one?"

Urbosa glanced at Link. "The one?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Urbosa. Even the Gerudo know the legend."

For a moment, Urbosa was silent. She seemed to be studying him, looking him over. Finally, she spoke. "I think we should make sure he's healing properly before we make any sort of speculation. We need to get him inside."

Zelda nodded. Urbosa was right. Even if Zelda's suspicions turned out to be correct, it wouldn't matter if he was dead. Without another word, they carried him up the stairs and into Impa's house.

"Impa!" she called inside. "We need help!"

"Can it wait?" came the response from somewhere inside. "I'm meditating, dear."

"Impa..." Zelda suddenly found it very difficult to resist the urge to raise her voice. "While you were off doing whatever in Hylia's name it is you do when you meditate, Ganondorf entered the village, killed one of my men, nearly killed me, and injured Link. So no! It cannot wait!"

She had to be careful. She was starting to sound like Impa herself.

A split second later, Impa appeared beside her. "Oh my goddesses," she whispered. "He's not... is he?"

"Not yet. Is there anything you can do?"

"Put him on the ground."

They gently placed him on the floor, and Impa drew a knife from her belt, kneeling down to him. Zelda gasped, gaze fixed on the blade, and Impa looked up at her.

"Don't worry, Zelda," she said calmly, "I'm just cutting off his shirt."

She put the blade to the fabric of his tunic and sliced through it gingerly. The loose material fell away to reveal his chest.

Zelda couldn't help but stare, noting how muscular he was for somebody that appeared so scrawny. His chest was moderately flat, but nonetheless defined, and his biceps muscles didn't bulge the way that Berritt or Daruk's did, but they were there. And his abdominal muscles weren't the biggest in the world, but they were more than enough to give even Urbosa a run for a few hundred rupees.

Aside from the nasty bruise forming in the spot where Ganondorf had kicked him, Zelda found his entire upper body extremely pleasing to look at . She had the sudden urge to reach out and touch his skin, and she felt her cheeks flushing at the sight of his bare chest. She didn't know why she was so surprised that he would be so attractive.

At the sudden realization of how lustful she was being, she immediately looked away in horror. He was a soldier, for Hylia's sake. Of course he would be muscular. There was nothing at all appropriate about the way she was thinking about him. It was wrong!

But it felt so right.

Doing her best to push such thoughts out of her mind, she shut her eyes and cleared her throat. "I, um," she stuttered, "Will he recover?"

Impa nodded. "The bruise is unfortunate, to be sure, but harmless in the long run. He may have some cracked ribs, but that shouldn't have caused him to pass out like this. Did he suffer any blunt force trauma to the head during the fight?"

"No," said Zelda, "but Ganondorf did hit him in the skull shortly before, and he passed out then, as well."

"All things considered, then, we're lucky he found enough strength to even get up, much less fight Ganondorf at full strength." Impa stroked his forehead gently. "We won't know until he wakes, but he likely has a concussion. He'll be fine in time, and my doctors can probably speed up the process substantially, but coupled with the ribs, he'll need at least a month of rest and constant supervision before you have him doing any real field work."

"That's a month we don't have," Zelda muttered. "Can't we just have Mipha do some of her–er–thing?"

"Mipha's ability is a strictly physical power," Urbosa interjected. "She won't be able to help, at least not with Link's head. The bruise is another story, but unfortunately Impa's right. Link will need a lot of time to recover."

Zelda sighed, frustrated. This was not what she wanted to be hearing. She wanted Link to be well, and more than that she needed him to be. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

Impa shook her head. "You could always try praying for a miracle."

"Right," Zelda said dismissively, rising to her feet and walking out of the house. "Because that's worked out so well in the past."


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 _"…"_

 _Black. Blue. Gold green silver gold blue._

 _Red._

 _"…Link…out of…place…"_

 _Screaming. Shattering._

 _"…no…this…matter…"_

 _Dark. Wet. Flowing._

 _Laughing. Crying._

 _Red._

 _"LINK!"_

 _Black. Red. Golden._

 _"…back…here…"_

 _Silence._

 _Despair._

* * *

Link's eyes shot open, his hands flying to his racing heart. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and even the tips of his bangs were stiff with salt. Below him, he could feel that the bedsheets were soaked. Whatever he'd been dreaming about had left him terrified, though he didn't know why.

The stabbing pain in his head, like a knife twisting inside an open wound, returned, and he cried out as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to escape. Clutching his skull, he writhed around in the bed, attempting anything and everything to rid his head of the hurt.

After a few agonizing moments the pain mostly subsided, leaving nothing but a slight throbbing. As he lay still and caught his breath, Link noticed for the first time that his shirt was nowhere to be found, leaving his chest completely exposed.

He now had a clear view of the spot Ganondorf had kicked. Needless to say, the flesh was already a nasty shade of something that fell between purple and black. He inched his fingertip toward the injury, wincing when he made even slight contact. It still hurt, as he was sure it would for quite some time.

Looking around, he found himself completely unsure of where he was. The room was dark, lit only by a few dim lamps decorated with a Sheikah design. There was a window on the opposite side of the room, but the shades were drawn to block out the sunlight. From where he sat, he could also see a large tapestry depicting the Eye of Truth, the traditional symbol of the Sheikah tribe.

Legend held that the symbol had been designed tens of thousands of years ago. Supposedly, it had, at one point, been only an eye. But the Sheikah, who had faithfully served the Royal Family for millennia, were betrayed by an ambitious king, and to represent their grief a single teardrop now fell from the eye.

That was the legend, at least. And the extent of his knowledge on Sheikah history. The secluded tribe had always been such a distant part of his life. As far as he could remember, he had only been to Kakariko Village twice before the past week, once when he was barely four years old, and once when he was eighteen.

He stretched his arms out and yawned as he recalled the first of those two trips.

As a child, he had toured the entire land of Hyrule with his father, as a part of one of the late King's vision for unity for the kingdom. King Rhoam had believed that if the Royal Family could show their support for the peoples living outside the Central Hyrule area, it would usher in a permanent era of peace and prosperity for the entire kingdom.

At the time, Link had been too young to have any sort of thought about it. Now, he could clearly see how foolish it was. Obviously these "goodwill tours," as the King had called them, didn't work well on lunatics like Ganondorf.

Nonetheless, his father had decided to bring him on one of these tours, for "exposure," or something. Even from a young age, Link had spent his entire life dreaming of becoming a knight. His father had seen no better opportunity to show Link life as one than firsthand experience, and so he had spent an entire year of his life traveling through nearly every village, city, and region in the entire kingdom.

He didn't remember many details from the journey, but one memory in particular remained fresh in his mind. It was at the beginning of the journey, as the caravan made their first stop at the Dueling Peaks Stable.

That stable was the very spot where he had first met Zelda.

* * *

 _"Papa?"_

 _"Yes, son?"_

 _"Are we there yet?"_

 _His father shook his head, smiling playfully. "No, Link."_

 _"Oh," said Link. "How long have we been going?"_

 _"Several hours. We're almost there."_

 _"Okay, papa." Link sat back in his seat in the carriage, satisfied with this answer._

 _He looked out the window. The sky was turning red. Link found that silly. He had always been taught that the sky was blue. Was that something that happened when children stayed up past their bedtime?_

 _"Papa?" he began again._

 _His father looked at him curiously. "Yes, son?"_

 _"Why is the sky turning red?"_

 _"Because it is almost nighttime. The sky does that when night is coming."_

 _Link thought about that for a moment. "Why?"_

 _"Because the Moon and the Sun can only play one game, and that is hide-and-seek. When the Moon comes out to play with the Sun, he thinks the Sun can only live in a blue sky. So the Sun turns the sky red to hide from the Moon."_

 _"So why does the sky turn blue again during the daytime?"_

 _"Because the Sun knows it has beaten the Moon at another game of hide-and-seek, and it is safe."_

 _"So every day is really just a game of hide-and-seek?"_

 _His father nodded._

 _Link grinned. "I like to play hide-and-seek, too, Papa. Does that make me the Sun?"_

 _"No, Link," said his father with a chuckle. "You are not the Sun."_

 _"Can you play hide-and-seek with me when we get there?"_

 _"I could, but I know there's someone ready to meet you who would be better at it than I would."_

 _Link was a little disappointed, but not surprised. His father was in charge of protecting somebody named The Queen a lot, so he didn't normally have time to play with Link. Protecting The Queen was a very big honor, and he needed to spend a lot of time doing that._

 _"Who will play with me, Papa?" he asked._

 _"You'll find out soon enough, Link. Look, we've arrived."_

 _Link had been so busy talking that he hadn't noticed the carriage stop. The door swung open, and his father stood up, taking Link's hand as they stepped out onto the ground._

 _He didn't know where he was. There was a large building in front of him, with what looked like the head of a horse on top of it. Nearby, other carriages stopped moving while some grown-ups in front of the building talked about something. One of them was a very tall man with a funny-looking yellow hat that only covered part of his head._

 _Link squeezed his father's hand lightly. "Papa, why is that man wearing such a silly hat?"_

 _"It is called a crown, Link. That man is the King."_

 _"What is a king?"_

 _"He is someone very important. He can do many things, and can even tell other people to do many things – and they have to do them."_

 _Link considered this for a moment. "Are you also a king? I think you are very important."_

 _His father laughed again. "No, son. There can only be one king."_

 _Link put his hand to his chin, as he had seen grown-ups do when they thought about something. "When I grow up," he said, "I'm going to be a King and wear a silly hat."_

 _"Of course you are!" said the voice of a person other than his father. The man in the funny hat—the king—knelt down and patted Link on the back. "You will make a fine king one day, son."_

 _"Your highness..." said Link's father in the same voice he used when Link did something bad._

 _"How many times must I tell you, Adon? Please, call me Rhoam."_

 _"And how many times must I tell you not to fill the boy's head with impossible wishes?"_

 _"Let the boy dream, Adon!" the King laughed, ruffling Link's hair. "There is no harm in dreaming, is there? Now, if I'm not mistaken, I believe it is time for Link to meet the princess, eh?"_

 _"Papa," Link interrupted as he turned to his father, "what is a princess?"_

 _"A princess is the daughter of a king," he replied._

 _"And I get to meet one?"_

 _"Yes, Link!" said the king excitedly. "Look, here she is right now!"_

 _Two new people—a lady and a girl—were walking toward them. The lady wore a long, blue dress and also wore what Link guessed was a crown, but it was much smaller than the King's so he wasn't entirely sure. At first Link thought maybe she was a different king, because she was wearing a crown, but then he remembered that there was only one king, and so he decided that she was not. She had long, blonde hair and green eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. She looked like she was probably a nice person._

 _The girl looked almost exactly like the lady, except that she was about as tall as Link. She wore a blue dress and small crown similar to the lady's, and shared her blonde hair and green eyes._

 _"Link," said his father, "I would like you to meet the Queen of Hyrule, Noria."_

 _He pointed to the lady. Link smiled and waved to her._

 _The lady smiled back sweetly. "So you're Link," she said. Her voice sounded smooth to him, like honey. He liked honey. It was good._

 _"You've grown so much since the last time I saw you!" exclaimed the Queen, kneeling down to him. "I hear you're getting big and strong. Is that true?"_

 _Link nodded excitedly. "I want to be a knight, just like Papa! And then I'm going to be a king and wear a funny hat."_

 _The Queen, whose name Link now knew was not actually 'The Queen,' laughed. "Is that right?" she asked, and Link nodded again._

 _"Well, I think you will be an excellent knight, just like your father," she said, putting one of her hands on his shoulder. Then she stood and gestured to the girl. "This is my daughter, Zelda."_

 _Link waved at the girl, who in turn hid behind her mother's dress, occasionally poking her head out like she was trying to see if Link was still looking at her._

 _"My apologies, Link," said the Queen. "My Zelda is rather shy around people she does not know." She turned to the girl. "Zelda, this is Link. He will be your friend for the remainder of the journey. Would you like to say hello?"_

 _Zelda considered her mother's offer for a moment, then finally nodded and turned to Link. "Hello," she said._

 _"I'm four," said Link, holding up four fingers to prove his point._

 _"I'm not," said Zelda._

 _"Oh," said Link._

 _"Look, Adon," said the King, who was very happy about something, "they are already the best of friends! I think they'll get along quite nicely. Now, if you'll come with me, I have something I wish to discuss with you…"_

 _He walked into the horse-building, and took Link's father with him._

 _"Zelda, dear," said the Queen, "why don't you ask Link if there are any games he would like to play with you?"_

 _"I like to play hide-and-seek," said Link matter-of-factly._

 _Zelda's eyes lit up. "That is my favorite game!"_

 _"Do you want to play with me?"_

 _Zelda nodded, shut her eyes, and started counting very loudly. Link giggled and ran away as fast as he could. He didn't really know who Zelda was, or why it mattered that she was a princess. He was just glad to know that she would always be his best friend. After all, she liked hide-and-seek. And Link knew that anybody who liked hide-and-seek was a great friend._

* * *

Link's daydreaming was suddenly cut short by another wave of pain through his head, this one worse than the first. He howled, pulling his hair and squeezing his eyes shut as hard as he could. It was near impossible to describe in detail the pain he felt. Nothing he had ever experienced before seemed comparable.

Eventually, the pain subsided, albeit just a little. He slumped against the mattress and took a deep breath, feeling his muscles relax and his heartbeat level out. He barely felt the icy touch of a cold hand on his chest.

"Are you alright?" Someone asked.

He opened his eyes to see Zelda leaning over him, her hand pressed against his chest, clearly concerned. Smiling groggily, he began to nod, then realized he was still shirtless and yanked the bedsheets up over his shoulders in a panic. He felt his cheeks flush from embarrassment.

Zelda giggled, sitting down on the side of the bed. "It's only me, silly," she said. "Don't feel embarrassed."

Link swallowed the lump in his throat, not any less embarrassed.

"If it would make you feel better," Zelda said, turning away momentarily, "I could fetch you a fresh tunic."

Link shook his head. "It's fine." He gradually pulled the sheets down from his neck. "I've just, um…" he stuttered, grasping for some explanation, "never been this…exposed in front of a member of the Royal Family, is all."

Zelda nodded. "I understand, Link. You aren't violating any kind of etiquette, if that is what you are concerned about."

That wasn't what he was concerned about, but he nodded anyway.

"Is your head still bothering you?"

He shrugged. It was, but she almost certainly knew that as she had clearly heard him cry out. That was, he assumed, the whole reason she was sitting here with him. So, there wasn't much point lying to her and saying he was fine.

On the other hand, the last thing he wanted for her was to worry about him. She undoubtedly had too much going on for that, and besides, the circumstances weren't important enough to warrant her attention. He had sustained the injury doing his job. In his line of work, it was expected.

"It definitely hurts," he said, "but I'm sure it'll be fine."

Zelda flashed him a smile, before sighing heavily. "Link, there's something I need to…"

He didn't hear her finish as sudden nausea overwhelmed him, and the room began to spin. His head throbbed, and his stomach seemed to be doing somersaults. Chills raced up and down his spine and his skin crawled. Gagging, he felt the awful burn of stomach acid making its way up his throat. He tried to contain it, but his insides lurched and he released all of the vile liquid all over the bed. Tears welled in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks as he vomited again, and again, and again.

Zelda jumped from the bed and rushed to his side, gently rubbing his back as she softly shushed him and told him it was alright.

When the episode finally subsided, he wiped tears from his eyes and the acidic liquid from his mouth. He was covered in the stuff, as was the entire bed. He could even feel traces of it in his hair, which made him want to throw up again. His head still spun, and his stomach still churned a bit, though not as badly as before. Gazing numbly at Zelda, his heart stopped.

Her entire tunic was covered in his mess.

"Oh my goddesses, Your Highness, I am so, so sorry!" he said as he waved his hands about, unsure of what to do with them. "It was a complete accident, I swear! I don't kn–"

Zelda dismissed his near-hysteria with a laugh. "It's quite alright," she said, brushing herself off a bit, trying to hide her disgust at having to touch his... _fluids_ _._

She was doing a good job at it, though, as she didn't appear in the least fazed by any part of the situation. That both surprised Link and made him relax a bit. He had never dreamed of ever throwing up on the Princess of Hyrule, but if he had, he would also have never dreamed that she would be so forgiving about it.

He had witnessed firsthand the kind of person she was when she was bothered by something. Suffice it to say, it usually didn't end well for that which was bothering her.

"Here," she said, standing up. "We should probably both get cleaned up before we talk about anything else."

She held out her hand, and Link took it weakly. She helped him from the bed and out into the hallway.

"There's a private bath just down the hall. Do you need me to help you?"

He shook his head. Sick as he was, he was not about to let the Princess of Hyrule give him a bath.

Zelda shot him a questioning glance, like she didn't quite believe him, but nodded reluctantly anyway. "Alright," she said, rubbing his back again. "You go ahead and get cleaned up, and I'll bring you a change of clothes." With that, she walked off.

Link huffed and slowly walked in the direction of the bath. It wasn't far, by any means, but between the headaches and the nausea it felt like the journey took several hours. It took all of his self-control not to vomit again, but luckily, he made it.

The bath was cozy. It wasn't enormous, but it also wasn't cramped. There was just enough space for Link to feel comfortable taking a bath.

He slid the door shut behind him, and walked over to the actual tub. It was a distinctly Sheikah design, built into the wall of the room. Just like most parts of Sheikah culture, bathing was something he knew little about. He vaguely remembered being taught by his father that the Sheikah often bathed socially and had etiquette to preserve modesty, but he couldn't remember anything specific.

 _Doesn't matter much,_ he thought as he removed his trousers and undergarments and stepped into the tub. _I'm the only one that would fit in this, anyway._

The bath was already filled with water. It was hot, but not scalding. As he dipped his ankles in, Link sighed in relief. It felt nice to finally have the opportunity to relax and actually wash himself. He had needed to, badly. The closest thing he'd had to a proper wash was his unexpected dip in the lake three days ago.

His bath lasted about thirty minutes before he decided that sitting there soaking himself in a bathtub was getting to be a tad boring. He promptly exited the tub, dried himself with one of the many towels tucked away in the nearby linen cabinet, and walked back to his room.

The bath had done wonders for his stomach, as well as his head. Any trace of nausea he'd felt was gone, and his headache had reduced to only an occasional pulse in the back of his skull. He didn't feel perfect, but he at least was able to walk around without throwing up.

Zelda was already waiting for him when he stepped back inside the room. Link noticed she had changed into a different outfit—of course she had. Instead of her normal royal blue tunic, she now sported a dark green blouse and white pants. He wasn't sure why, but when he saw that particular color combination, a distant feeling of déjà vu washed over him. It was followed by a fresh wave of horror as he remembered he had thrown up on her, however well she'd taken it.

He saw her glance at the towel wrapped around his waist, then up at him. "You know," she teased, "a bare chest is one thing, but it isn't exactly proper to present yourself to a Princess wearing nothing but a towel."

Link's cheeks flushed once again, and he turned away in embarrassment. "Yeah. I know."

Zelda laughed and gestured to a pile of clothes lying on the bed, which now had fresh sheets covering it. Link had to admit he was impressed at how quickly general housekeeping tasks were accomplished around here.

"I hope these are your size," said Zelda. "You can change in the closet over there."

She nodded to a door in the wall that Link hadn't seen before. He grabbed the clothes—a simple pair of Hylian Trousers much like the pair he'd just soiled, and a plain white undershirt—and walked into the closet. Moments later, he reemerged fully clothed, surprised that the garments fit him.

"Much better," Zelda said with a smile. "Did you enjoy the bath? I drew it myself."

He nodded. "It was the closest thing I've felt to a proper Hyrule Castle bath in four years."

"And are you feeling any better?"

"Actually, yes," he said. "My head doesn't hurt nearly as much, and my stomach seems to have calmed down for the most part."

If Zelda was surprised at all, she didn't show it. "I've heard the Sheikah draw their bathwater from the nearby Great Fairy Fountain. That might explain why you feel better, if only a little."

"There's a Great Fairy Fountain here?"

"Oh yes," said Zelda, apparently shocked that he hadn't known. "It's impossible to miss, just up the hill. I might have to take you there sometime soon."

"That'd be interesting."

Zelda looked away for a moment, and Link wondered if he'd said something wrong. He was halfway through formulating a decent apology when she grabbed his hand and said, "Come with me. There's something I must give to you."

She led him downstairs into the central room of the building, which he now recognized to be Impa's house. Interestingly, Impa was absent. That surprised Link. In all of his life, he had only seen Impa leave her house one time: to greet the King on the goodwill tour.

Before he had a chance to ask Zelda about it, though, she let go of his hand. "Link," she said, "this belongs to you." She gestured to the pillow Impa used when meditating, and for a brief moment he thought she was actually talking about the pillow.

He was just about to call her crazy when he saw what was on the pillow. And his jaw practically hit the floor.

There, folded neatly, was his blue Champion's Tunic.

"You kept it," he said, dumbfounded. He grabbed it eagerly and pulled it over his undershirt. "I can't believe after all these years you actually held onto this."

"Yes, well…" Zelda cleared her throat. "I couldn't rightly just toss it aside like it didn't matter, now could I?"

"But why? It's…" his voice trailed off. "It's not who I am anymore."

"That's what I need to talk to you about," she replied. She grabbed his shoulders gently, and took a deep breath, her expression cordial but deadly serious. "I want you to be my second-in-command."


	11. Chapter 10

"You _what_ now?"

A sigh escaped Zelda's lips. "I want to put you in charge of the Rebellion," she said. "You're more than qualified; you're easily the best swordsman in all of Hyrule. Even four years without proper training wasn't enough to keep you from defeating Ganondorf."

"Hold on," Link said, putting up his hands. "I can swing a sword around, sure. Better than most people, I'll give you that. But why me? Why not Impa, or Urbosa?"

Zelda shook her head. "I've talked to Impa and the other Champions. They're unanimously agreed: you're the one."

"With all due respect, your highness, you and I both know the only reason I was ever put in charge of the Champions to begin with was because your father liked me a little more than he probably should have."

"Is that really what you think?" she asked. "My father was not a fool, Link. He may have made some unwise decisions, but putting you in charge of the Champions was not one of them. Do you want to know why he gave you that honor, and not someone else? He admired your courage. He applauded your strength. And those were important qualities, certainly, but one thing set you apart from any of the other candidates: your immense selflessness. He was astounded by your fierce desire to put everyone else's own needs in front of your own. Where others would have cared only for themselves, you demonstrated that others were just as important, if not more, without a second thought. Such humility, such sheer magnanimity… That was something my father had only seen in one knight before you."

"Who was that?"

"Your father, Adon," she told him, and Link's stomach churned at the name as Zelda continued. "Obviously, he trained you well. And that is why I am sure you are right for this."

Link turned away from her and asked, quietly, "You truly think I'm qualified for this?"

The thought of being in charge of the entire army… The opportunity was amazing, to be sure, but it was all happening so quickly. Less than an hour ago, he had thrown up all over Zelda, and now she was talking about making him her second-in-command? Was she sure about this?

"Link, nothing you can say will change my mind. I know it's a large responsibility, but I cannot think of anyone more capable of handling it than you," Zelda said.

He glanced down at the tunic he wore. It was much more than just a fancy piece of cloth. When accepting it, he had sworn an oath to the King that he would give up his life for the greater good of the kingdom, whatever that entailed.

He thought of the other Champions. Each of them had sworn a similar oath, but while he had abandoned his, and them along with it, they had stuck together for something more than themselves. It wouldn't be right to them for him not to do the same.

His mind was made up.

"Alright," he said with a grin. "I'll do it."

Zelda's face lit up, and she wrapped him into a gentle hug. "Thank you," she said, softly resting her chin on his shoulder. "I was afraid you would say no."

"Your wish is my command, your majesty," he replied, still smiling.

They separated, and Zelda immediately turned to the door and ran out of the house, calling over her shoulder as she went, "Stay here. I'm going to get the others. I'll be right back! Oh, Link, this is wonderful!"

The door slid shut, and Link was alone once again. His legs buckled from relief and he slumped to the ground with a chuckle. "What have you gotten yourself into?" he asked himself quietly.

Less than a week ago, the thought of joining Zelda's rebellion had scared the living daylight out of him. Now, he was suddenly in charge of it.

He still wasn't entirely convinced he was right for the job, but he guessed that if the other Champions believed in him, he could at least try to believe in himself, as well.

Truthfully, he was excited. He had only seen Revali and Mipha once since he had returned, and had yet to even lay eyes on Daruk. Now he would be able to spend more time with them, to work alongside them again, as part of a team.

He chuckled under his breath. It had never really occurred to him how much he had missed them until now. Maybe Zelda had been right about him, after all.

 _Speaking of_ , he thought as the door slid open once again. He sprang to his feet as six familiar figures all entered the house, one after the other. Zelda was leading, followed closely by the ever-stoic Impa. Behind her was Urbosa, who winked at Link with a sly grin on her face, then came Revali, Mipha, and finally Daruk, who just barely fit through the doors.

Daruk's enormous face curled into a smile, and he bounded toward Link, shaking the whole house as he went. He wrapped his beefy arms around Link and pulled him into a suffocating bear hug. His hearty laugh rattled Link's innards, and it took all the self-control in the world for him not be sick again.

"Well, Little Guy!" Daruk said, finally finding it in his heart to let go of Link, "I've been dyin' ta see ya! I would have said 'Hi' earlier, but Revali and I only just got back from Goron City this morning! How're you?"

Link laughed, sheepishly putting his hand behind his head. "I've been better, but I've also been worse."

He briefly recounted the events of the past few days, excluding the part about throwing up on Zelda. The fewer that knew about that, the better.

Daruk shook his head angrily. "That pig-faced creep Ganondorf had the nerve to pick a fight with my best friend?" He rubbed his hands together slowly as if he were wrapping them around somebody's neck. "The Princess told us he'd paid us a little visit, but she never mentioned anything about a fight. Why, I oughta–"

"I assure you, Daruk," Zelda interrupted with a giggle, "Link has already taken care of him, at least for now. I highly doubt we'll need to worry about another visit from Ganondorf for quite some time."

"I still can't believe that creep had it in him to come here," Revali muttered, crossing his wings in obvious disdain. "Though I really shouldn't be surprised, since I wasn't here to stop him."

Urbosa rolled her eyes. "Have you ever spoken so much as a single sentence of which you weren't the subject?"

Revali shrugged. "If I have, I don't remember."

A smile found its way across Link's face. Some things never changed.

"If you all don't mind," Mipha interjected softly, turning to Zelda, "Princess Zelda has gathered us here for a reason, yes?"

Zelda nodded. "I've already spoken with all of you about this, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise." She cleared her throat, before speaking in a formal manner Link knew she only used for serious business. "I have finally selected a commander for our army, as per your advice. Effective immediately, Link will be assuming command of the entire Rebellion, second only to me. As my Champions, however, it is your responsibility to counter any decision of mine you deem improper or unnecessary." A pause. "If anybody is opposed to my selection, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Nobody in the room said anything, and Link breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Very well. I now give you your new commander," Zelda said with a smile, waving a hand in Link's direction.

The others immediately fell to one knee, each bowing their heads and putting an arm across their chests in salute. Even Impa.

Link shook his head. "Oh, come on, you all know that isn't necessary. It's just me."

"Thank the goddesses," Revali said, standing up. "For a second there I thought we were going to have to do that every time you walked by. I thought I was doomed!"

The others laughed and stood as well, before Zelda brought them back to attention. "Now that that's settled," she said, "there's another thing: Ganondorf knows where we are now. While I highly doubt he'll be foolish enough to pay us another visit for some time, we cannot sit idly until then. We need more troops."

Urbosa tilted her head to the side. "How?" she demanded. "We already have support from almost every Hylian village in the entire kingdom."

Link thought he saw what Zelda was getting at. Hylian support alone wasn't enough to stop Ganondorf. The Hylians hated him, sure, but as a whole they were nothing more than farmers, craftsmen, and merchants. The Rebellion needed warriors, not Hylians.

Sure enough, Zelda nodded to Urbosa and said, "I'm well aware, Urbosa. But to win we'll need more than just Hylians among our ranks."

"But we have that already," Revali protested. "We have several hundred Gorons, Zora, and Rito represented here."

Impa crossed her arms and grunted. "That won't be enough," she said. "It's a start, and it isn't insignificant, but there's too few of them to be a viable option for anything more than minimal defense."

"I'm confused," Daruk said, his stony brow furrowed thoughtfully. "We need more of the other races, that I get. But haven't we already tried asking everyone before?"

"Daruk's right," Revali said, turning his beak to the air. "Even I wasn't enough to convince them otherwise." He spoke with a theatrical flourish, as if anybody else in the room needed a reminder of how highly he thought of himself.

A sly grin crept across Zelda's face. "Yes, but now we have one vital piece of this perplexing puzzle that we didn't before: Link."

Link's eyes widened as he clasped his hands and gave a nervous squeak. "What?"

Why did Zelda seem to think he was so important? The praise and admiration she had been giving him since he woke up were borderline reverential. All he had really done was show up and hit Ganondorf with a sword a few times, so why she was showering him with the sudden applause was beyond him.

Zelda's grin widened, which to Link was a sure sign that more commendation was inevitable. "Four years ago, the leaders of the various Hyrulean races were hesitant to put their full support behind a seventeen-year-old princess, but with the commander of the Champions now with us, we might be able to change their minds."

Personally, Link didn't see how his being a part of anything would help anybody's odds of changing the opinions of these leaders, but he decided to humor her. "So, what do we do?"

"I'm going to send you five—" she gestured to the Champions "—back to each tribe's capital and see if you can't get them to ally with us."

"Even with…" Urbosa trailed off, pointing subtly to Link's head, though not subtly enough that he couldn't see it. He guessed she was concerned about it; no doubt Zelda had described Ganondorf's blow in detail.

"I'm fine," he said dismissively. "It hurts a little bit but I'll be okay."

Urbosa shook her head. "Absolutely not, Zelda. He can't travel with a concussion."

"Who said I had a concussion?"

Zelda and Urbosa immediately pointed to Impa, who just shrugged. "But what do I know?" she muttered. "It's not like I have a degree in medicine from the Hylian Academy or anything."

"You have a degree in medicine from the Hylian Academy?" all five Champions chorused.

Impa huffed. "Yes, though it's not something I bring up a lot. It was before I was chief… I was bored."

"Doesn't that degree take somewhere between five and ten years to earn?" asked Link.

Impa nodded. "In my case it took seven. I started when I was eighteen."

"How old are you now?" asked Revali.

Link cringed at the words, but he knew that Revali was too proud to care about social etiquette. Such as how a man never asked a woman how old she was.

Surprisingly, Impa seemed unaffected by his rudeness. "Twenty-nine."

Revali squinted suspiciously. "But that would mea–"

"We're getting sidetracked," Impa interrupted. "Link, I'll personally diagnose your condition after we're done here, but unless you have another, er, _episode,_ you'll be safe to travel. Is there anything else, Zelda?"

The princess nodded. "Just one thing: your first destination is Gerudo Town. You leave at nine tonight. Good luck, Champions. And Link?" She smiled and nodded at him. "Welcome to the Rebellion."

* * *

That night, the five Champions, dressed in traveling clothes, prepared the caravan of horses they would be taking on their trip. What seemed to Link like several tons of luggage surrounded them; rations, supplies, and spare clothing for the week-long journey to the Gerudo Canyon. They had collectively decided that their best bet of making the trip in such a short time was to cut straight through Necluda and Central Hyrule by way of the Dueling Peaks, until they reached the Canyon Stable, without stopping.

"Do we really need all this stuff?" Daruk asked, gesturing to the abundance of supplies around them.

"There are five of us, Daruk," Urbosa replied with a shrug before slinging a pack over her shoulder.

She had traded her usual Gerudo halter top and skirt for a light red tunic that matched her hair and a pair of brown trousers, and her hair wasn't pinned into a ponytail like it normally was. She was, however, still decked head-to-toe in gold jewelry.

"It can't hurt," she continued, "provided we have a place to put it all."

"That's what I'm worried about," Daruk said nervously. "Are we sure we only get three horses?"

"Two from the Rebellion, plus Epona," Link affirmed as he loaded a bundle of firewood onto a mule. "And this mule to carry everything we can't fit on the actual horses."

"The princess is being unusually generous," Revali noted, scratching his head. "Normally she'd be hard pressed to even offer us one horse. I wonder what's going on."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Mipha said softly. She had a large brown cloak wrapped around her shoulders, concealing all of her torso and much of her legs. "Princess Zelda is well aware that the journey to the desert isn't a short one, nor is it an easy one. If I were her I would probably have offered us just as much."

Revali rolled his eyes before turning to Urbosa with an ugly smirk on his face. "Hey, Urbosa," he said. "You homesick yet? If I recall you couldn't wait for an excuse to get away from the desert."

Link looked to Urbosa inquisitively, and she bit her lip. "Way to go, featherbrain," she murmured. "You just had to bring that up, didn't you?"

"Did something happen?" Link asked.

He had always known her to take an immense amount of pride in her heritage. When he had spoken with her the other day she had given no indication of any hostility to her people. She also hadn't shown any sign of apprehension when Zelda had spoken to them about leaving; though, come to think of it, she hadn't seemed particularly thrilled about it, either.

Urbosa turned from the group. "Suffice it to say that I'm not exactly on the best of terms with the current Gerudo Council. It…" Her voice trailed off. "It won't be easy to return, not with the way things stand between us. But I'll manage."

That seemed odd to Link, seeing as less than half a decade ago Urbosa had been next in line for the Gerudo throne. Why had her people turned against her? And more importantly, why hadn't she said anything?

He considered asking her about it, but upon seeing the pained look on her face he decided against it, choosing instead to focus his attention on the task at hand: loading the caravan. His musings and childish questions weren't going to help their mission.

But even as he distracted himself by helping Daruk pack all of their luggage onto their mounts, one thing bothered him: Zelda, being her closest friend, must have known about Urbosa's predicament, if only just barely. Why, then, was she sending Urbosa straight into the very place she apparently wanted nothing to do with?

He supposed it had something to do with the fact that Urbosa was the Rebellion's only true link to the rest of the Gerudo, and it was a last-ditch attempt to put the Rebellion on amicable terms with the warrior race. Even so, it didn't make logical sense to send someone to make peace with a group of people when those people themselves weren't on good terms with that person.

Link made a mental note to talk to Urbosa about it later. In the meantime, he'd just have to trust that she'd be fine. The fate of the Rebellion, and of all of Hyrule, depended on that fact.

"I think that's everything, Link," Daruk said, as he put a saddle on the last of the horses, a cream-colored mare with a light brown mane. He pointed to Link, then to Mipha, then finally to Urbosa. "Saddle up, you three!"

All three did as they were told. They had decided earlier as a group that Mipha, Urbosa, and Link would ride atop the horses while Daruk led the mule on foot. Revali would follow above in the air, and if he needed to take a break at any point he could always ride behind Link atop Epona until he was rested enough to fly again.

A part of Link selfishly hoped it didn't come to that. He didn't exactly dislike Revali, but they had traveled together on more than one occasion, and the Rito was not high on his list of traveling companions.

"Well, Commander?" Revali said, voice sarcastic but not disrespectful as he tapped Link on the shoulder. "Are you just going to sit there with a stupid grin on your face or are you going to give us an order already?"

Link rolled his eyes and chuckled. He opened his mouth to say something, but even as he did he caught a glance of two people approaching them out of the corner of his eye. Turning in the direction of the newcomers, he was pleased to see Zelda making her way towards them, with Impa in tow.

"Your highness," he said, and nodded to her once she reached them.

" _Commander_ ," she replied before smiling at her own words. "That has a nice ring to it."

"Debatable," Revali muttered.

Zelda gave him a stern look, before turning back to Link. "I thought it best to see you all off." Her gaze shifted toward each of them as she spoke. "I look forward to the news you bring upon your return. Take care of each other, or at the very least try to." Her voice was authoritative, but gentle, and Link could tell she genuinely meant what she said.

"Don't worry about us, Princess," Urbosa said with a sly wink. "You sound like we've never worked with each each other."

"Just come back to me," she said, and Link detected a tinge of concern in her voice.

"We will," Mipha assured her, and Link admired her confidence; he always had.

Someone in the distance called Zelda's name, and Impa lightly tapped her shoulder before pointing a thumb in the other direction. Her message was clear: they was needed elsewhere.

"Good luck, Champions." Zelda gave them a nod. "Be careful."

With that, she turned on her heels and strode off in the direction her name had come from.

"Alright, everybody," said Link, lightly snapping Epona's reins, "let's be off."

The other Champions nodded, and followed suit. As the group walked through the gates of Kakariko Village, Link allowed himself one quick glance back at Zelda. She had turned back to face them once more, and though she was fading fast from his vision he could make out a look of worry, or maybe pain, on her face. Perhaps she wanted to call them back, to call off the whole operation, to do anything that would keep them safe. His own thought came back to him: _She cares too deeply about those she loves._

 _Will she be okay without me? Without us?_ he wondered. He knew she would; she had been fine on her own for four years, after all. She was without a doubt the most resourceful and adaptable person he knew, when she didn't allow her own stubbornness to cloud her judgement.

But with everything that had happened with Ganondorf, it felt wrong to abandon her like this. Again.

 _You're not abandoning me,_ she would say. _Sacrifice is a necessary part of war_.

And Link supposed she would be right.

With a sad smile, he waved goodbye to her, and though he knew she probably wouldn't see it, there was a tiny part of him that hoped she waved back.

* * *

The road to the Canyon was longer than Link would have ever expected, had he not traveled it himself. It took the group three days and nights to reach the Digdogg Suspension Bridge, and they were still technically making good time. Refusing to waste any time by making camp, they were all weary and exhausted. Urbosa and Mipha took turns sleeping in shifts, but Daruk, being in charge of leading a mule, couldn't afford that luxury, and Link chose not to out of principle, thinking that it wouldn't be fair to Daruk if he were to doze off.

For a while, they passed the time by making conversation, seeing as the five of them hadn't spent any time together since Ganondorf's usurpation, but eventually the lack of sleep and conversational material left them saying very little to each other. At one point the only sounds audible to Link were the occasional snort of the horses and an infrequent snide comment from Revali, although after a while even he grew too tired to complain about much of anything. He gave up on flying above them, and instead alighted behind Mipha and buried his entire face ungraciously in her shoulder, his eyes sealed shut.

Eventually, they decided that they couldn't travel without proper rest for very much longer, and that they would set up camp on one of the several mesas that the Digdogg connected.

Daruk's deep voice broke the seemingly perpetual silence as he pointed a rocky finger ahead of them. "There it is," he said.

Sure enough, the bridge was in view, and Link exhaled in relief. Soon enough, he'd be lying down on top of his bedroll, the shining stars above him, his friends beside him, actually getting some rest.

His lips curled upward at the thought of a nap, and he suddenly realized just how tempting it was to allow the steady bounce of his horse's footsteps to lull him to sleep. A yawn escaped his lips as he glanced at the others. Mipha and Urbosa were now both fast asleep on their respective mounts. Link observed a rivulet of drool slowly making its way down Urbosa's chin, and he smiled, though it was something he could never actually tell her about lest she cut off his lips.

He still laughed softly, though. "Just a few more steps, and we can rest," he said, though he wasn't sure to whom, exactly.

Soon enough the party reached the central mesa of the bridge, and, after everybody had awoken, wasted little time in unpacking their bedrolls and building a campfire. The sky was aglow with a soft orange hue, the gradually setting sun giving the clouded void a calm, almost melancholic air of peacefulness.

"Y'know," said Link, gazing at the sky, "they used to teach that this time of day was significant."

Urbosa yawned. "Why's that?"

"Supposedly there were those who believed that when the sun had just passed over the threshold of the horizon, our world connected itself to another– a world of shadows."

"Sounds like a fairy tale to me," Revali said dismissively. He crossed his wings. "Personally, I prefer to put my faith in what I can see. And I swear on my honor that I've never seen such a 'world of shadows.'"

"What honor?" Link countered, and the others laughed.

"Well, shadow world or not," Daruk said, "I'm glad we're here. Together."

Urbosa laughed dryly. "They never could keep us apart for very long, now, could they?"

"Four years is a pretty long time to me," Revali quipped.

This time it was Mipha's turn to laugh. "That's because you are not a Zora," she said. "Four years is but a blink of an eye to us."

"Whatever the case," said Link, "we're here. As a team." He paused, a lump forming in his throat. "I want to apologize."

"What for?" asked Daruk, scratching his beard.

Link took a deep breath. "For abandoning you. For forcing all of you to leave without so much as a goodbye." He ignored the lone tear tracing his cheekbone. "For putting you all in so much danger, bearing my responsibility, taking care of my princess, all while I was running around doing whatever I wanted to and not giving a care about anything beyond myself."

The others were silent, their expressions unreadable, and Link wondered for the billionth time in his life if he had said something wrong.

It was Mipha who broke the silence. She rose from her bedroll and crawled over to Link, sitting beside him. Placing a hand inside his, she spoke softly and tenderly. "I may not have understood the circumstances of our departure, but I do not blame you for them." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I am proud to fight by your side once again, Link."

Urbosa cleared her throat. "We Gerudo have a traditional story that we tell our children," she said. "A long, long time ago, seven maidens ruled and protected the desert. One day, a great evil fell upon the desert, and the maidens sacrificed their own lives in order to banish the evil from their land. Their physical bodies wasted away for a time, but their spirits lived on, and eventually they were reborn in stronger bodies and ruled the desert for a thousand years.

"I don't know how much of that story is true, or even if I believe it," she qualified, "but I do believe this: the Champions exist to protect the Princess. Once, our cause had to die to fulfill that goal. Now, she needs us again, perhaps more than ever before. Like the seven maidens, it is our duty to rise again, stronger than ever. I agree with Mipha. It is an honor to serve you, Link."

Daruk laughed heartily. "Aww, little guy, did ya really think we'd really hold you responsible for any of this?" His face turned sour. "It's that pig-sucking lout Ganondorf's fault, through and through! Goddess have mercy on him the day he comes face-to-face with my Boulder Breaker!" He clenched his hand into a tight fist.

Revali just shrugged. "I won't lie, there are a lot of things I consider to be your fault," he said, turning his beak up in a rather snooty fashion. But then his gaze softened and he chuckled a bit. "This is not one of them. It really does feel good to have you back, Link."

Link smiled and wrapped an arm around Mipha, who was nodding off on his shoulder. Four years was a long time to blame oneself for anything, he supposed. Maybe, now that he was once again in the company of his closest friends, he could begin to let go.

Maybe.

* * *

 **Quick note, in case you were wondering. Aesthetically, the Impa and Ganondorf in this story are both from Hyrule Warriors, though I hope I've done a decent job characterizing them beyond that. Obviously, neither design for Young Impa or Ganondorf exist in Breath of the Wild, so I felt like I had the liberty to do that.**

 **Also, I want to clear up Zelda's age, since after reading over the story thus far I've implied and even mentioned it, but don't think I've done a great job clarifying it. Zelda is sixteen, about to turn seventeen, in Breath of the Wild's Past, according to the memories. That said, prior to the Champions disbanding, she is sixteen, about to turn seventeen. After the four years pass but before she meets Link, she is twenty, and when she meets Link again she has just turned twenty-one, as Urbosa makes it pretty clear that he is her birthday present.**


	12. Chapter 11

_"..."_

 _A flash of blue. A glimmer of yellow._

 _"Get out...place...too..."_

 _A glint of silver._

 _Screams. Cries._

 _"No...please...let..."_

 _Red._

Link shot up once again, and his hand instinctively whipped above his shoulder as a he reached for a sword that wasn't there. _It was just a dream,_ he told himself as the initial shock of the dream wore off. Between heavy, labored breaths, he did his best to distinguish between what was real and what wasn't.

His bedroll. That was real.

The voices he'd heard. Not real.

The hair falling in front of his eyes. Real.

Random bits of color flashing through his vision. Not real.

His blue tunic, the ground he lay on, the other Champions, the stabbing pain in his head, those were real. The stars in the sky, the crackle of the dying fire, the smell of smoke and monster guts, the incessant gurgle and snore of a nearby being, all...

Wait, what?

His eyes grew wide and a knot formed in his stomach. Slowly, carefully, as if any sudden movement would kill him immediately, he turned to his left. _Please don't let the it be real,_ he pleaded silently. _It's only Daruk. Daruk snores, doesn't he?_

But Daruk didn't smell like monster guts. The monster to his left, on the other hand, did.

Lying there, fast asleep, was an enormous lump of black flesh, its singular eye shut tight, its knobby little fingers wrapped around the beaded necklace adorning its impossibly flabby neck. Link could make out the glint of weapons tied to said necklace, obviously trophies of the monster's previous victories.

 _Fire love and wind_ , Link thought. _It must have showed up while we_ _were sleeping._ Though he wasn't certain why the Hinox hadn't decided to attack them when it saw them, that bit of information was about the furthest thing from his mind at the moment. All he could really focus on was _trying not to die._

The Hinox did not stir, thankfully, but Link knew that there was absolutely no possibility of escaping from it. Even if he managed to wake the others without making enough noise to alert it to their presence, they would have to leave their entire camp—horses and all—behind. Without their supplies, they'd starve before they even made it through the canyon.

Link understood the stakes, and there was only one solution: he would have to kill it.

Killing it in its sleep would be ideal, but difficult. He could take a sword or a spear and gouge its eye out, rendering it blind, but that would only make it even more dangerous; even a blind Hinox had a formidable sense of smell. He considered weaponizing Urbosa's lightning, but this black Hinox wasn't as wimpy as its red-skinned cousins. Electricity would probably not do much more than make it angry and give it even more incentive to squash the five Champions into a pulp. If he could make it to the beast's neck he could slit its throat, but with all the flesh protecting its jugular vein, that would be hard to accomplish without giving it enough time to attack him.

He mouthed a curse word, deciding that giving it a peaceful, silent death was out of the question. It was just too risky.

He was going to need the other champions.

Making as little sound as he possibly could, Link grabbed his sword and stole away from his bedroll, making his way over to Urbosa. He glanced at the Hinox again, and the brute turned over in its sleep.

Miraculously, it didn't wake.

Sighing in relief, he put a gentle hand over Urbosa's mouth, and her eyes shot open. She grabbed his forearm and started to shriek, but Link kept his hand firm over her mouth, muffling the sound. She looked at him, scared and confused, and he put the index finger of his free hand to his lips.

Urbosa nodded, and he removed his hand. He jerked his thumb in the Hinox's direction; Urbosa followed his gaze and held both her hands up in confusion. Though she used no words, her message was clear: _What do we do?_

Giving the Hinox another quick glance to make sure it was still sleeping (thankfully, it was), Link pointed at Urbosa, then to Mipha. _Wake her up._ His index finger returned to his lips. _Quietly._

She nodded, hopefully understanding his message, and silently crawled to where Mipha slept peacefully. Urbosa leaned down and whispered into the her ear, and she began to stir.

Two down, two to go.

Waking up the other two Champions wouldn't be as easy, though. Revali wasn't fond of being startled, especially where sleep was involved, and Daruk, goddess bless him, was the loudest person Link had ever met.

He snapped his fingers at Urbosa, and she met his gaze. _What?_ she mouthed.

For the first time in his life Link was grateful that lip-reading had been a part of the Champion training regimen. _Daruk and Revali_ , he sent back. _Any ideas?_

Urbosa shook her head, and turned to Mipha, who also shook her head. Link gritted his teeth. Things were looking worse and worse by the second.

Nearby, the Hinox suddenly grunted, and all three Champions' heads whipped in its direction. The beast lifted one hand to its face and rubbed its eye sleepily.

Link's throat closed and he watched in horror as the Hinox slowly but surely rose to its feet. He had known that it was huge, but now that it was standing up Link was sure that this particular Hinox was bigger than any he had ever seen before. Where most stood at just above nine feet, this one towered above the rest at around twelve.

And as it yawned and stretched, it focused its large yellow eye straight on Link.

Not good.

Link had killed Hinoxes before, but none as large or terrifying as this one. Its eye seemed to peer right into his soul in a way none had before. He tightened his grip on his sword as the beast seemed to inspect him, tilting its head to the side and grunting curiously. It even scratched the top of its head in confusion, something that might have been amusing to Link if his life hadn't been in the balance.

"Hey, Urbosa?" Link squeaked, not looking away from the Hinox.

"Yeah?" came her nervous reply.

"I need Revali." He brought his sword from its sheath. "Now."

Urbosa leapt to action, shaking Revali awake. The Hinox, startled by Urbosa's sudden movement, roared angrily and bounded toward Link. It picked up its foot and stomped forcefully on the ground with what seemed like enough power to crush a house.

Link deftly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being squashed. Thank heavens Hinoxes weren't as fast as they were strong.

Unfortunately, Link's dodge only seemed to anger the Hinox even more. It bared its teeth and flailed its arms at Link, who didn't have time to get out of the way. One of the beast's gargantuan hands connected with his chest and sent him flying several feet. Upon hitting the ground, his momentum left him rolling over and over and over, unable to stop himself.

Everything spun. Suddenly the ground fell out from underneath him and he plummeted through the air. He couldn't tell if his heart was beating too fast or not at all. Through his dizziness, he could barely make out the sight of the cliff above him.

The blasted Hinox had just knocked him off the Mesa.

He was going to die.

In a few seconds he'd be nothing more than a heap of shattered bones and splattered blood lying at the bottom of the chasm. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for impact, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that his life was over.

* * *

He never hit the bottom. Before he could tell what was going on his body lurched to a halt, suspended in midair. As quickly as he had fallen, he began to rise through the air once more.

He looked up and saw Revali's beaked face staring down at him. The Rito had grabbed him in his talons and was carrying him through the air, back up to the mesa.

"Be more careful next time, Hylian!" Revali shouted over the rush of the wind. "You're not dying today!"

Link grinned and shouted back his thanks. Revali deposited him in the grass before soaring away overhead, and Link directed his attention back to the Hinox, who was currently in a fierce battle with Mipha, Daruk, and Urbosa. The Champions were holding their own, but the sheer strength of the Hinox seemed to be wearing them out. Mipha in particular was struggling to avoid the monster's blows. In terms of raw speed she outperformed the Hinox, to be certain, but her movements were gradually becoming pained and sluggish, and Link was well aware that even one hit from the ogre would likely kill her.

Not going to happen, Link thought, gritting his teeth. Not as long as I have something to say about it.

Sprinting forward, he dove headfirst between the Hinox's legs, rolling when he hit the ground, and plunged the blade of his sword deep into the back of its calf. It howled in pain as it clutched its bleeding leg. Link reached for his sword, still stuck in the Hinox's flesh, but the beast took a step just out of his reach, and his hand grabbed onto nothing but air.

A flash of crimson blurred in his field of vision as Mipha vaulted atop the Hinox's shoulder. She twirled her spear above her head before jamming it into the brute's neck. It howled in pain and smacked its neck as if it were swatting a fly. Mipha launched herself off the Hinox's large hand and landed gracefully next to Link.

"Thanks for that," she said as she brandished her spear.

Link nodded and dodged another swipe from the Hinox. "Of course."

An angry roar ripped through the air, and Daruk ran headfirst into the Hinox's legs, knocking it over. The earth shook as the ogre hit the ground, and Link nearly lost his balance. It tried to sit up, but a well-placed arrow sprouted from its eye. Shrieking in agony, the Hinox pawed and grasped at its own face, trying to remedy the source of its pain. Link glanced above him and spotted Revali nocking another arrow.

"Nice shot!" he called.

"Don't sound so surprised!"

"Link!" Urbosa shouted, running to the Hinox's foot. She yanked Link's sword from its leg, resulting in a geyser of monster blood shooting from the wound, and tossed it to him. "Finish it off!"

He nodded. The Hinox was incapacitated for now, but soon it would just get back up angrier than ever. Link was going to make certain that that didn't happen.

But how? Its body was way too big for him to get on top of it on his own. At his current size he probably couldn't even reach the top of the beast's stomach.

Unless...

"Hey, Daruk?" Link called with a wry grin on his face.

"Yeah, little guy?"

"You remember that move we tried when we fought that Igneo Talus on Death Mountain?"

"Yeah! Why?"

"Do that!"

Daruk's eyes lit up and he nodded enthusiastically. "You got it!" he called, then curled himself into a ball.

Link readjusted his grip on his sword and charged straight at Daruk. With all the strength in his body, he launched himself from the ground and planted his feet firmly on the Goron's rocky back. Daruk stood straight up, sending Link flying through the air at unbelievable speed. He landed atop the Hinox' bloated stomach, and the beast grunted in pain. It was still writhing and clutching its eye, making it difficult for Link to stay on his feet.

 _Steady, now_ , he told himself, taking short, cautious steps to the Hinox's neck.

With a yell, Link drove the point of his sword straight into the ogre's throat. Black blood spurted from the wound, drenching Link and no doubt permanently staining his tunic. The Hinox gagged and coughed up blood before it stopped moving completely.

Link hopped down from the corpse and wiped the blood off his sword in the grass. Adrenaline was wearing off, and his limbs were starting to feel sluggish. He gave the Hinox one last glance to ensure it was dead. When he was satisfied that it was, he turned back to the other Champions.

"Nice job, Link!" Daruk bellowed, raising an excited fist. "You really showed that monster who's boss!"

Link smiled, but the mood was soured as a familiar stabbing pain in his head returned. Clawing at his skull, he cried out and fell to his knees. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth as he hit the ground.

"Link!" cried Urbosa, rushing forward to grab his arm. "Are you alright?"

Link nodded and pulled his arm away from her. "I'm…fine…" he hissed.

He tried to stand up, but the unbearable pain left him back on the ground in a heartbeat.

A cold liquid found its way through his lips, and his tongue was greeted by the burning sensation of pepper and truffle. He gagged, forcing himself to swallow the vile concoction. His throat burned from the pepper, but within a few moments his headache subsided.

"Thanks," he gasped, as Urbosa hoisted his arm over her shoulders and lifted him to his feet.

"Here," she said gently, "Let's just get to the stable. You can rest there."

"No," he protested weakly, "no…time. Have to…keep…going…"

The last thing he remembered before blacking out again was his arm slipping off of Urbosa's shoulder as he collapsed.

* * *

Link awoke to the gentle sound of horses neighing and food simmering over a fire. The savory aroma of meat and seafood frying together made his stomach rumble and his mouth water. Even with the current state of his head—now only softly pounding—his appetite was insatiable as ever. He licked his lips, imagining the succulent taste of the meal he would enjoy soon enough.

He sat up, getting his bearings. They must have made it to the stable, judging from the whinnies of the horses nearby. He was lying in a bed flush against the wall, near a collection of tables where a few Hylians were chatting away about something. The open walls let in the cool canyon air, sending chills up and down his spine. He shivered, pulling the covers up to his shoulders, and was contemplating going back to sleep when he saw Mipha standing over him.

"You're awake," she said, sitting down on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

He stared straight ahead, avoiding her gaze. "Hungry." A brief pause. "Exhausted, too."

"Is your head feeling any better?"

"I guess." He yawned and stretched his arms out. "Right now it's sort of a gentle throb, at most."

Mipha put the back of her fin to his forehead and sighed. "You don't have a fever," she stated matter-of-factly, then pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "Maybe Impa was right about your concussion."

Link rolled his eyes. "What difference does it make at this point? If I have a concussion, I have a concussion. I'll be okay."

"Will you, though? You were lucky that you didn't have an episode during the battle with the Hinox, but what if you're not so fortunate in the future? What will you do then? What will _we_ do then?"

Link was silent. That was something he hadn't considered. If that were to happen in the middle of a battle and his allies couldn't help him...

A part of him knew Mipha was right: overworking himself wouldn't be good for him. But he didn't want weigh down his friends; they had too much at stake for him to be a hindrance to their cause. It would be better for him to simply press on, regardless of the effect that such perseverance would have on his health.

He shut his eyes and hung his head. "I just don't want to be a burden. After all I've put you through..."

Mipha took one of his hands gently and looked into his eyes. She opened her mouth as if about to say something, then turned away from him.

"I admire you, Link," she said softly. She looked back at him, her yellow eyes sparkling in the firelight. "I admire your selfless heart and your determined spirit. Your unwavering loyalty, your unflinching courage, your abounding kindness… I envy them all. You are brave, possibly the bravest man I have ever met. But you are not invincible."

He swallowed hard. The truth of her statement was not a foreign concept to him, but hearing it come from her mouth made him sick to his stomach. The possibility of death was something he preferred not to dwell on.

"I know," he whispered. "But I am strong enough to handle it. You don't need to worry about me."

"But I do." She squeezed his hand gently. "I care about you. Perhaps not in the same way as before, but you still are very important to me."

"Mipha, please…"

He shook his head as memories of them flooded back into his mind. A toddler splashing around in a pool while the Zora Princess supervises him. A young boy gorging himself on mounds of food while the princess laughs. A teenager wincing in pain while the princess heals a gash on his arm. A young man panting over the body of a Lynel while the princess stares, dumbfounded.

A Hylian walking away from Zora's domain while the princess weeps.

Link folded his hands uncomfortably. "Let the past be the past."

"I've tried," Mipha admitted. "For many years. But I cannot, because you are far too important for me to just forget about you, and all the good times we had together. You are a part of my life, for better or for worse."

Her fingertips slowly crossed his cheek. "Perhaps we may never again be what we were then, but that does not change how I feel about you." She flashed him a smile. "And I am not about to let you die because your overconfidence gets the best of you. Like it or not, we need you."

He had heard that so many times recently that he was starting to think it would be the only thing anybody said to him anymore.

He shut his eyes and nodded slowly. "You're right."

Mipha giggled. "I'm always right," she laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"I'll try my best," he said, returning her embrace.

They sat there for many moments until Link heard footsteps at the front of the stable, and then Urbosa's voice cut through the room. "Am I interrupting something?"

Link pulled away from Mipha, feeling his cheeks flush from embarrassment. "No, not at all!" he exclaimed, hoping that he didn't look as mortified as he felt.

As far as he knew, the other Champions were unaware of his past with Mipha, and he didn't want Urbosa to get the wrong idea. That wasn't even considering what might happen if she ran her mouth and Revali found out.

"Right," Urbosa said skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Link, if you're feeling better, we're getting ready to leave."

He gave a quick nod. "I'll be right there."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm trying to make enemies seem more...scary. Hinoxes were remarkably easy to kill in BotW, as was pretty much everything else once you reached a certain point in the game, so I wanted to make the battle, and other monster battles in upcoming chapters, more than just "** ** _Link swung his sword. The Hinox died. He picked up its guts and made a stew. There was much rejoicing (yay)._** **" I dunno if that's what I've accomplished here, but bear with me.**

 **Also, I apologize profusely for the delay of this chapter's publications. It's been over a year since I published this story, and I'm only about halfway done with it.** **Life _has_ been really busy, but that's just how it is so really there is no excuse other than my own personal laziness. I've had this chapter finished since early March and just never got around to actually uploading it. Now that I've graduated high school, I hope I'll have some more time on my hands to write a bit more consistently. In the meantime, though, updates for this story will still be pretty slow (though hopefully not as slow as this update was). Keep an eye on my side projects, because usually those don't take super long for me to write and I may be able to keep working on those. **

**Again, my apologies. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I promise that I will finish this story even if it takes me another year or any time after that.**


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